Business
Science communication is a tough gig. You have to find a way to maintain accuracy and rigour while telling a story that people can relate to and remember. And it's more important than ever these days, as we work to combat the spread of fake news and misinformation on issues from climate change to the pandemic. So what's the secret? That's what we find out in this episode with Johanna Wagstaffe. She tackles this challenge every day in her work as a seismologist, meteorologist and scientist at CBC, Canada's national broadcaster. Johanna talks about the creative process behind some of her work, including the award-winning climate change podcast 2050: Degrees of Change, which combines future-focused interviews with climate experts with the fictional life of a 12-year-old girl in the year 2050. By bringing some of the concepts and impacts of climate change to everyday life now and in the future, Johanna and her team helped transform the way we think about and plan for it.We also explore the need to find a "heartbeat" for every story - some nugget or focus that triggers our emotions, by making the science or the scientist irresistibly human. And we discuss the responsibilities of scientists in the media to help translate complex concepts so that governments, citizens and organizations can make informed decisions for the future.As a woman in media and science, Johanna brings a critical perspective to some of the toughest issues facing society today - and finds creative ways to help us understand them. Check out the full episode to hear her thoughts about how we need to advance science storytelling in the future – and follow her online here: https://twitter.com/JWagstaffe here: https://www.instagram.com/cbcjohanna/ and here: https://www.facebook.com/johannacbc