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Science essentials for midterm election reporting

This webinar provided an overview of the fields of science and evidence relevant to election reporting, along with practical tips for using science to vet political claims and incorporate scientist sources into policy stories.

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What are Crash Courses?

Tuesday, September 15, 1-2 p.m. ET

The 2026 midterm elections will have profound impacts on the direction of American government and society for years to come. With so much on the line, journalists have a responsibility to go beyond reporting what a given candidate said and what a given referendum means. This SciLine Crash Course covered fields of science and types of evidence that may provide relevant context to your election reporting, tips for using science to vet claims from politicians, and the roles that scientist sources and scientific evidence can play in news stories about policy.

This webinar was co-presented with The Journalist’s Resource, a program of the Shorenstein Center at Harvard Kennedy School.

Journalists interested in a recording of this webinar may request it below:

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.