The relationship between the media and the academic science community is seldom easy.

The media, academics argue, do not engage with ‘proper’ science and when they do, they over-simplify and distort the research. Academics, retort the media, cannot communicate clearly, do not understand how the media works, and are unwilling to engage with journalists in real time.

The truth lies somewhere in-between.

Academic research is often difficult to access; researchers have no incentives or reward for communicating with the media; and journalists do not have the resources to find it and translate it for their specific audiences.

The session will explore how this relationship can be improved. It will debate the practical challenges for each community, and showcase techniques used by DFID funded research to communicate science, creating a win-win situation for both parties.

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