Science and the media
There is widespread worry today about the health effects of just about everything around us -- from the food we eat and water we drink, to the plastics we use and medications we take. A journalist’s task of sorting through all the latest studies and reporting the findings in a responsible fashion is more critical than ever.
Four internationally renowned science journalists will address the challenge of cutting through the jargon of scientific literature and conveying trustworthy information to the public, at the 2016 Lorne Trottier Public Science Symposium on Oct. 17-18 at the Centre Mont Royal.
Over the two evenings, these four featured speakers will explain how they resist the spin of vested interests and distinguish good information from bad -- in an age when social media and the Internet make it increasingly important for journalists to be trusted arbiters of science news.
MONDAY, OCT. 17, 5:30 p.m.
Centre Mont Royal, 1000 Sherbrooke Street West (corner Mansfield)
Erica Johnson, CBC national reporter: “Busting the Spin Cycle”
Julia Belluz, Vox.com: “The Dr. Oz problem: How reporters should cover the peddlers of bad science”
TUESDAY, OCT. 18, 5:30 p.m.
Joel Achenbach, Washington Post: "How to Survive the Age of Bad Information"
Trevor Butterworth, Sense About Science USA: "Facts, fiction, and science: where the lines become blurred"
Moderator: Dr. Joe Schwarcz, Director, McGill Office for Science & Society
Admission is free, no reservations required
More about the symposium: https://www.mcgill.ca/science/events/trottier-symposium
Cette conférence sera prononcée en anglais.
