Show Notes
Welcome back to Season 3 of The SciComm Collective! In this season we’re talking about how science stories get into public spaces like news, magazines, theatre, parks, museums, science centres, and youth groups. In our first episode, UWA science communication PhD candidate Emma Gill chats with Jasmine Fellows, Managing Editor of Refraction Media, former editor of Cosmos and Double Helix magazines at CSIRO, and science communication PhD candidate at The Australian National University.
Jasmine shares how she got into science writing and editing, what she’s currently working on, and how digital versus print isn’t the problem – it’s more about what we’re saying, why, who with, and how long it takes to get a story out. Emma and Jasmine talk about news habits of Gen Z, how funding makes a big difference, long form versus short form (like social) media, inclusion in science media, and the differences between science communication and science journalism. Tune in to learn more about the Australian science media landscape in 2026 and how you can get involved!
Episode Links: Refraction Media – https://refractionmedia.com.au/ Double Helix (which did start in 1986 – great memory, Jasmine!) – https://blog.doublehelix.csiro.au/about/ Cosmos Magazine (archive) – https://connectsci.au/news/pages/cosmos-archive Careers with STEM magazine – https://refractionmedia.com.au/careers-with-stem/ Australian videogame magazine CONTINUE? – https://continuemagazine.com/ More about the ‘Deficit Model’ – https://thescicommcollective.com/podcast/episode-4-deficit-model/ The Digital News Report: Australia – https://www.canberra.edu.au/research/centres/nmrc/digital-news-report-australia Gender in Australian science news (open access paper) – https://jcom.sissa.it/article/pubid/JCOM_2503_2026_A03/ Fast Food Versus Veggies: Jasmine’s blog post about news flavours – https://jasminefellows.substack.com/p/its-fast-food-news-with-a-pinata Science Journalist’s Association of Australia – https://sjaa.org.au/
Episode Credits: Host: Emma Gill Guest: Jasmine Fellows Producers: Emma Gill, Camila Diaz Duran Editor: Matthew Gill Researchers: Holly Dear, Camila Pardo Uribe Shownotes: Emma Gill
More from The SciComm Collective
“You’ve got to get your research to the people who are going to use it… You’ve got to go to where the community is.” – Sarah Brooker
“My favourite thing about nature conservation and science is sharing it with people and connecting with people about it.” – Owen Cumming
“It’s about empowering the kids to feel like they can step in and help in an emergency.” – Suchi Kalia
“A really important part of inclusion is understanding your audience, understanding their needs, but also understanding their assets… What knowledge do they already have? … Science capital is about recognising what people already bring to the table.” – Shanii Phillips
“It’s being able to create experienceswhere young people feel like they belong.” – Lisa Bailey, MOD.