It's tough for us to shift our behaviour on big issues like climate change when all we ever hear is the same, dominant narrative. And that's a real danger in these days of media consolidation and takeovers. Yet, misinformation propagated by "alternative news" sites can be even more dangerous.
So how can we use scientific storytelling and independent journalism to help us find a balance? That's what we explore in this episode with strategic communications consultant, writer and coach, Denise Young.
For the past decade, she's worked internationally on changing the way scientists connect with policymakers and the media, mostly around climate change and sustainability. To do that, she draws on years of experience reporting on finance and markets across Asia, North America and Europe for Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
Denise introduces us to the concept of perspective, talking about the difference between the so-called "objective" voice she was trained to use as a journalist – what she calls "the view from nowhere" – and the need to have an opinion or stand in order to be heard, as we see in much of today's communication work.
Our conversation also explores ways we can all use the power of narrative to explore ways to address climate change, as she shares the work and findings of the Climate Narrative Circle project she ran with her colleague Stina Heikkilä.
Plus, she shares one scientist's work to address this very issue, in her discussion of Dr. Kimberly Nicholas' new book, Under the Sky We Make: How to Be Human in a Warming World.
Find out more about Denise's work, read her newsletter "The Zeroist" about climate and finance, and check out her podcast, "New Climate Capitalism".
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