Best friends and SciComm researchers, Reyhaneh Maktoufi and Stephanie Castillo, gossip about all the cringeworthy and exciting ways science is communicated in real life.
AI Communication Pitfalls (and How it Mirrors Climate Change Communication)
After spending too much time doomscrolling, Rey and Steph started to notice a similar pattern between climate change and AI communication. From the doom and gloom narratives to shaming, there are lots of unhelpful tactics being used that might backfire in the process of making AI more safe and ethical.
References:
“Yale Climate Opinion Map” https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/visualizations-data/ycom-us/ (https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/visualizations-data/ycom-us/)
“Emotion and the Psychological Distance of Climate Change” https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1075547019889637 (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1075547019889637)
“Hopium or empowering hope? A meta-analysis of hope and climate engagement” https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1139427/full (https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1139427/full)
“Hopeless Average 10-year-old” https://www.instagram.com/p/DdVSpKziWDH/ (https://www.instagram.com/p/DdVSpKziWDH/)
“Please Protect Your Hope” https://www.instagram.com/p/DdHf2nxHTw-/ (https://www.instagram.com/p/DdHf2nxHTw-/)
7 Sept 2026
When Academics Disagree on Persuasion & SciComm Goals
Rey and Steph are reviewing the Journal of Science Communication commentary "Does science communication have its goals wrong? From persuading science skeptics to promoting scientific empowerment" from Anne Toomey and Kevin Elliott, PLUS John Besley and Sara Yeo's response to that commentary.
We talk about how each paper defines persuasion, what we liked about each author's claims, and who do we side with? Also, why do we always reference pandemic communication in every freaking episode????
Special thanks to the Civic Science Media Lab for supporting our work in gossiping about all things scicomm. https://civicsciencemedia.org/ (https://civicsciencemedia.org/)
References:
“Does science communication have its goals wrong? From persuading science skeptics to promoting scientific empowerment” https://jcom.sissa.it/article/pubid/JCOM_2501_2026_C07/ (https://jcom.sissa.it/article/pubid/JCOM_2501_2026_C07/)
“A response to: “Does science communication have its goals wrong? From persuading science skeptics to promoting scientific empowerment” — A defense of certain types of persuasion” https://jcom.sissa.it/article/pubid/JCOM_2504_2026_L01/ (https://jcom.sissa.it/article/pubid/JCOM_2504_2026_L01/)
7 Sept 2026
Are We Persuading Wrong?
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Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
77
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.0 / 5
4 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
9 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 25 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
11
Social presence
0
YouTube
65
Engagement
31
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