The AusSMC presents Off Embargo, a podcast for lovers of science and the media
This week we launched Off Embargo, the official podcast of the Australian Science Media Centre.
In a world awash with misinformation, our very own Olivia Henry and Steven Mew take you behind the scenes on what it takes to make reliable science information a breeze to read, watch, and listen to in the news.
The fortnightly podcast dropping every second Monday will discuss a range of topics, including not just the interesting stuff that’s just come off embargo, but also insightful interviews with scientists and journalists, and what goes on in the AusSMC office every day to ensure credible science hits the headlines.
Olivia Henry, Senior News Lead at the AusSMC and co-host of the show, said the team has been talking for years about producing a podcast due to the unique position the AusSMC occupies between the worlds of media and research.
"We’re always hearing suggestions like 'you should cover this topic!' or 'why did you bring attention to that story?!' but we never really get a chance to publicly talk about the reasons behind our decisions."
"At the same time, our news portal Scimex, which is usually just aimed at journalists, is being found by people in the public more and more."
The show aims to help listeners feel like they’re part of the news team and that they’re getting the background on what the story is and why it does, or doesn’t, make it onto the news. According to Olivia, there's something in the podcast for everyone.
“If you’re a journo, you might benefit from hearing what researchers have to say about media coverage of their work. If you’re a researcher, you might like to hear about why certain stories are chosen, and others aren’t. If you’re neither of those things, you might just like to learn some cool science stuff without giving up an hour of your day."
"If you like good jokes, you’re fresh out of luck. We’re all about dad jokes and bad jokes here," she said.
In the first episode, Off Embargo looks at what influences the memes we see on our social media feeds.
Featuring Professor Crystal Abidin, a digital anthropologist and ethnographer of vernacular internet cultures from Curtin University, the episode covers the shadowy world of meme factories and how the seemingly spontaneous joke videos and images may actually be carefully planned and planted to get us to feel a certain way.
Episodes will drop fortnightly on Monday mornings, and you can find them on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, iHeart, and Amazon Music.
The Off Embargo podcast was made possible thanks to a Science Engagement Grant from Inspiring South Australia. It features music by Nathan Hui-Yi, is edited by Steph Hefferan, and is proudly part of the P. Zinner Network.
You can also find the Off Embargo Podcast on our website here.
This article originally appeared in Science Deadline, a weekly newsletter from the AusSMC. You are free to republish this story, in full, with appropriate credit.
Contact: Steven Mew
Phone: +61 8 7120 8666
Email: info@smc.org.au