By Maddie Burakoff
A panel of scientists and science writers gathered at Professional Development Day 2019 to discuss how to bring more diverse sources into science journalism and why it matters.
Inclusion requires consistent effort, NPR’s Nell Greenfieldboyce said. When Greenfieldboyce started tracking her own sources on a spreadsheet, she was shocked to find she was quoting men much more often than women, even though she was all for gender equality. After she became aware of the problem, she made an effort to diversify the voices she used.
One tip she suggested was to go beyond calling just the lead author on a study and instead talk to other authors for more varied perspectives, particularly if those authors come from a different background.
Though Greenfieldboyce admitted bringing in diverse voices required more effort (“I’m thinking about it all the time,” she said), she described it as “worthy work” that can also help lead to the discovery of unique, untold stories.
Freelancer Mollie Bloudoff-Indelicato brought up another resource for journalists to be more inclusive in their coverage: the Diverse Sources Database, a project she founded to counteract the excuse that journalists simply can’t find diverse sources quickly enough. The website lists hundreds of experts in different fields, all of whom have been vetted for credibility and agreed to talk to reporters on deadline.
Beth Linas, an infectious disease and digital health epidemiologist, also discussed the initiative 500 Women Scientists, an international organization that broadly aims to support women’s participation in science fields. The group created the platform Request a Woman Scientist to similarly give journalists a resource for finding sources on deadline, and promote the inclusion of women scientists in other contexts like conference keynotes and panels.
Taking steps to diversify source lists is essential to correcting an inaccurate portrayal of scientific fields — as Linas put it, the idea that all science is “pale, stale and male.” More diverse representation, panelists said, can help break down barriers in science instead of reinforcing them.
“The media has a lot of power,” Bloudoff-Indelicato said. “We have the ability to make change, for better or worse. And how individuals construct their identities … it’s shaped by the media.”
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