Telling Science Stories Well

“We are not just fighting an epidemic, we are fighting an info-demic” commented the Director-General of WHO, in reference to fake news, which we may have probably noticed by now, spreads faster than the virus. In a world where ignorance is so prevalent, it is important that public decisions are made according to scientific evidence and facts. Now more than ever, it is vital to lift the visibility of the science community. In light of these contemporary challenges, Subhra Priyadarshini, the Chief Editor of Nature India, briefed us about the importance of science communicators and the work done by Nature India for the 9th edition of Newton Speaks.

One of the stalwarts of Indian science communication, Subhra has been instrumental in bringing the voice of science to the doorsteps of the people during her illustrious 25 year career as a science journalist. Having achieved multiple accolades for her journalistic skills, she now leads Nature India as its Editor in Chief. Having found her passion in science communication, after exploring multiple fields, she shares its benefits, some of which include keeping the public informed about science and improving the impact and quality of research.

“Inspiring the next generation of researchers”, is how she describes the incredible work that Nature India has been doing since its inception. As one of the leading science magazines of the country, Nature India is responsible for curating and publishing research highlights, journalistic stories, opinion and comments around rigorously peer-reviewed science and issues of importance to India’s scientific community. Subhra calls the magazine, “the storytellers of Indian science for the world”.

With years of experience as a science journalist, Subhra is a strong advocate of the art of story-telling. Explaining the power of story-telling, she emphasizes the relevance of a story to its readers. “Unusual, astounding and amusing” stories capture attention. Unique and topical stories keep the readers engaged and informed. Eliminating the jargon and converting science stories to understandable, impactful stories is at the heart of communicating science.

It is no wonder that the ongoing pandemic has left its footprints on science communication. It has put communication and public trust in science to the test. Given the obscure and rapid-paced nature of the pandemic, the unknowns need to be conveyed to the public as much as the known. Calling it “communicating hope with limitations,” Subhra re-emphasizes Nature India’s role by talking about their special coverage on engineering solutions on COVID.

As stated by Subhra, switching from being verbose and eloquent to being simple and effective requires a copious amount of practice and style tweaking. According to her, ample reading of good prose in science communication can also help achieve this. Answering a question on her viewpoint on the scientific growth of India, she compliments the work done towards expanding the social impact of science, despite the lack of availability of resources and infrastructure.

Being a popular communicator, Subhra ensures that she is up to date with the basics of various scientific disciplines and emerging fields. To better understand the diverse aspects of a story, she also converses with sources and experts in the particular field. Finally, she brings down those ideas to a layman’s level of understanding science. Her rule of thumb is that “for effective mass communication, you should bring yourself down to the lowest common denominator of your audiences.”

When asked about her path to journalism, she says it was by chance rather than by design. She was always surrounded by books and enjoyed reading them from a very young age. During high school, she fancied writing poems and prose about her life as a student. After discovering her passion for zoology and during her undergraduate studies, she wrote her opinions about the different subjects that were taught. She was applauded for her writing and eventually, became the editor of her college magazine. Later on, she wrote a column named ‘A Toddler’s Travelogue’ for a local newspaper. At that point in time, she thought of pursuing a full-time course in journalism.

While working on an important task, Subhra constantly ponders on the various ways in which the impact of her work can be maximized while addressing her audience. She believes that scientific communication is inaccessible many times given that the jargon used in research papers is difficult for people to understand.

Being a passionate science journalist, Subhra Priyadarshini works diligently towards making information understandable, accessible, and shareable for all. “Nothing in science has any value to society if not communicated.”

-Natasha Das and Safa Saliha