Engaging with the media: Essential skills for successful interviews

What are you looking for?

Popular Searches

Wednesday, May 13, 2-3 p.m. ET

Scientists are often wary of speaking with the media because of concerns about being misquoted, misunderstood, or otherwise contributing to misinformation. And while expert sources don’t control the final outcome of a news story, there are strategies to maximize the chances that any story they help with contains accurate scientific information and context.

In 45-minutes of presentation and 15-minutes of Q&A, this webinar will guide you through working with the media when public discourse may feel hostile toward science. Topics covered include:

What you need to know about how journalists work;

Deciding whether to do a specific interview;

Preparing your talking points;

Combating misinformation;

Getting out of uncomfortable interview situations; and

Increasing the odds that a story you’re featured in is accurate.

Note: If you’ve previously attended our Understanding the Media training, there is some overlap in material between the two sessions, but this session focuses more on specific interview skills and techniques.

Can’t make this session? We will be scheduling more dates for this course soon. Sign up here to join SciLine’s network and be alerted to media opportunities in your field of expertise.

Tori Espensen

Training director
she/her

Tori leads SciLine’s training programs, which help both scientists and journalists learn to work better together to bring accurate, engaging scientific evidence to general audiences through news stories. Her role includes developing curricula, facilitating workshops and webinars, and finding creative ways to make teaching science and communication skills dynamic and interactive. Tori’s Ph.D. in biological psychopathology and postdoctoral fellowship in psychiatry, both from the University of Minnesota, allow her to connect with the scientists she trains and share her deep understanding of scientific skills and concepts with journalists.

Christian Monterrosa

Engagement manager

Christian is SciLine’s engagement manager, where he focuses on building connections with newsrooms and expanding access to research-backed evidence for diverse audiences. He brings a strong background in journalism support through roles at Tiny News Collective, The Pivot Fund, and LION Publishers. Before shifting into newsroom support, Christian built a career as an independent photojournalist, covering national politics, migration, and natural disasters. His work has appeared in outlets such as The New York Times and the Associated Press. Bilingual in Spanish and a former regional chair for the National Press Photographers Association, he combines field experience with organizational leadership to help strengthen the journalism ecosystem.