Interview
Telum Talks To: Claire Concannon from RNZ
Claire Concannon, Presenter / Producer for Our Changing World (OCW), chats to Telum Media about her role on RNZ National and the intersection of science and journalism.
Your background is in biochemistry - how did you make your way into radio?
Lucky timing and a love of podcasts! After a PhD in biochemistry, I worked as a national coordinator for an Irish science outreach programme for several years. In 2017 I moved to Dunedin to work at Otago Museum coordinating science outreach projects.
Having listened to and loved science podcasts for many years, I started making my own, mostly in my spare time. First, about the wildlife around Dunedin, then about a paleoclimate expedition that I was an onboard outreach officer for, and then about materials science for the MacDiarmid Institute. And then, it was a matter of the right time and the right place when the Our Changing World role became available!
For someone who has never tuned into Our Changing World, what do you cover?
We cover science and environment research in New Zealand, so the remit is extremely broad. We try to hit topics that span the breadth of that. It can be native bird monitoring one week, volcanoes the next, and the chemistry of solar panels the week after. OCW’s strength is in getting out and about to bring our audience into the action, so we record a lot of stories in the field alongside the researchers doing their work.
What's your favourite story you and the team have covered in 2023?
Picking a favourite is hard! My favourite to record was probably this one about the critically endangered southern New Zealand dotterel. I spent the day at Awarua Bay with a team of passionate people catching and satellite tagging the birds so they can find out where they go, to and try help them. But I also really enjoyed putting together this story about psychology research into anauralia - the lack of a mind’s ear. So fascinating.
Do you have any tips for budding journalists about breaking down scientific terms and stories for the general public?
Any time jargon is used, replace it with the word banana and read the sentence again. That’s how nonsensical it sounds when someone doesn’t understand a word. I always think about my non-science auntie when I’m making podcast episodes. What would she want to know?
That’s not to say that you can’t get into complex science topics, but to do that, you need to build the layers. You need to bring the listener along with you step by step. I love this cartoon by Maria Boyle / Twisteddoodles about science, jargon, and gatekeeping - I think about it a lot.
What are your tips for PRs wanting to pitch to you and Our Changing World?
First, it needs to have a New Zealand connection. Second, don’t wait until the science is done and published - OCW is about recording with the researchers, when and where things are happening.
Also, with 30-minute episodes, we have time to get into the process, and to get to know the person a bit more too. So, if there’s a personal connection between the researcher and their work, we want to know that. But the key is a good story of interest and relevance to our New Zealand science-interested audience.
Your background is in biochemistry - how did you make your way into radio?
Lucky timing and a love of podcasts! After a PhD in biochemistry, I worked as a national coordinator for an Irish science outreach programme for several years. In 2017 I moved to Dunedin to work at Otago Museum coordinating science outreach projects.
Having listened to and loved science podcasts for many years, I started making my own, mostly in my spare time. First, about the wildlife around Dunedin, then about a paleoclimate expedition that I was an onboard outreach officer for, and then about materials science for the MacDiarmid Institute. And then, it was a matter of the right time and the right place when the Our Changing World role became available!
For someone who has never tuned into Our Changing World, what do you cover?
We cover science and environment research in New Zealand, so the remit is extremely broad. We try to hit topics that span the breadth of that. It can be native bird monitoring one week, volcanoes the next, and the chemistry of solar panels the week after. OCW’s strength is in getting out and about to bring our audience into the action, so we record a lot of stories in the field alongside the researchers doing their work.
What's your favourite story you and the team have covered in 2023?
Picking a favourite is hard! My favourite to record was probably this one about the critically endangered southern New Zealand dotterel. I spent the day at Awarua Bay with a team of passionate people catching and satellite tagging the birds so they can find out where they go, to and try help them. But I also really enjoyed putting together this story about psychology research into anauralia - the lack of a mind’s ear. So fascinating.
Do you have any tips for budding journalists about breaking down scientific terms and stories for the general public?
Any time jargon is used, replace it with the word banana and read the sentence again. That’s how nonsensical it sounds when someone doesn’t understand a word. I always think about my non-science auntie when I’m making podcast episodes. What would she want to know?
That’s not to say that you can’t get into complex science topics, but to do that, you need to build the layers. You need to bring the listener along with you step by step. I love this cartoon by Maria Boyle / Twisteddoodles about science, jargon, and gatekeeping - I think about it a lot.
What are your tips for PRs wanting to pitch to you and Our Changing World?
First, it needs to have a New Zealand connection. Second, don’t wait until the science is done and published - OCW is about recording with the researchers, when and where things are happening.
Also, with 30-minute episodes, we have time to get into the process, and to get to know the person a bit more too. So, if there’s a personal connection between the researcher and their work, we want to know that. But the key is a good story of interest and relevance to our New Zealand science-interested audience.
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