Journalism of Evidence-Based Imagination - Practices of Science Journalism
What is the Journalism of Evidence-based Imagination?
Blog post: https://jesse-harris.ca/2022/02/22/jo...
Science journalism has always been powerful and important, but it achieved a higher level of influence after 2020. While many reporters have risen to the challenge of reporting a global pandemic, others have amplified misinformation or fed the confusion and anxiety of our time. Many pundits and commentators have also manipulated confusion about the pandemic to attract fame and support to ideological causes.
On February 10, Atlantic science journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner Ed Yong gave a talk for Seattle Arts & Lectures on the theme of “the journalism of evidence-based imagination.” As of this writing, you can access the presentation via the Seattle Arts & Lectures website though it is paid. Yong has been a science writer for over a decade but has become known for his pandemic reporting. This has given him a fascinating perspective on the state of journalism in the COVID era.
Yong’s presentation discussed journalism of evidence-based imagination. This an approach to writing that aims to help readers understand what is happening in the world through a combination of a broad perspective and well-founded predictions. This may sound simple, but it is fundamentally different from most journalism in several fundamental ways.
I had not encountered “journalism of evidence-based imagination” before. Searching on the internet, there didn’t seem to be any readily accessible resources on the topic. I felt writing up a primer based on Yong’s talk would be helpful. His perspective is insightful for anyone who produces or consumes journalism or science writing.
Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction
00:30 - What is the Journalism of Evidence-Based Imagination?
03:20 - Going Broad
05:14 - Keep an eye on the rear-view mirror
06:32 - Grappling with Uncertainty
08:04 - Run Towards Complexity
09:25 - Problem Framing
11:33 - Reflections
#Science #Journalism #Writing
Seattle Arts and Lectures: https://lectures.org/event/ed-yong/
Website: https://jesse-harris.ca/
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About Jesse
I live in Ontario, Canada with my son and wife. I have a Master’s degrees in Chemistry and in Chemical Engineering. I spend most of my time drinking coffee and creating content. I work at ACD/Labs as a Marketing Communications Specialist. My job involves creating content such as blogs, case studies, podcasts, and videos. My focus is promoting Luminata, a CMC decision support tool. I’ve been freelance writing and blogging for about 6 years.
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Email: [email protected]
LinkedIn: / jesse-ji-harris