SESSION
Centering community expertise: four approaches to responsible reporting
One of science journalism’s biggest challenges involves reporting on groups that have traditionally been excluded from or overlooked by Western science. LGBTQ+ people, for instance, have historically been under-researched, meaning there is little data to back up the narratives that journalists might find on the ground. Another example is from Indigenous communities who may hold deep environmental knowledge which is not always considered to be compatible with Western science.
How can science journalists responsibly cover different knowledge systems? How do we report on groups or issues when hard data is missing?
This session brings together speakers from New Zealand, India, Singapore, and South Africa to explore how to report on contentious issues and marginalised groups. We’ll look at how bias can creep into language, even when reporting on hard data, and we’ll investigate journalism’s role in fostering productive public conversations.
Rebekah WhiteSession proposer, producer and moderator | Freelance | New Zealand
Rebekah White is a freelance science journalist from Aotearoa New Zealand, and writes magazine features about conservation and climate tech for Science, The Guardian, and bioGraphic, amongst others. She’s a Fulbright scholar, a former editor of New Zealand Geographic, and a previous fellow of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford University.
Ankur PaliwalSpeaker | Queerbeat | India
Ankur Paliwal is a science journalist and media entrepreneur from New Delhi. He is the founder and managing editor of Queerbeat, a digital magazine and collaborative journalism venture that focuses on accurately telling the stories of LGBTQIA+ communities. He has received multiple grants and awards for his journalism.
Elna SchutzSpeaker | Freelance | South Africa
Elna Schütz is a South African freelance journalist who works in writing and audio for a variety of prestigious local and international publications like the BBC and the BMJ. Her main focus area is health, where she writes about medical innovations, health access, and more. She is involved in a number of organisations and with mentorship, and has won several awards for her work.
Benjamin BrookingSpeaker | Freelance | New Zealand
Benjamin Brooking is a freelance videographer and documentary filmmaker from New Zealand who specialises in shortform science-communication videos for web, often about conservation and ecology. He affiliates to the Māori iwi (tribe) Ngāti Porou. He has filmed across the Pacific region, in Antarctica, Kiribati, Samoa, Australia, and Indonesia.