Including diverse sources in science stories can add important context, amplify the perspectives of historically marginalized communities, and improve public trust in science and journalism.
Make source diversity a habit, not an afterthought.
- There are many dimensions of diversity, including race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexuality, disability status, institution type, career stage, and geographical location.
- Seek out diverse forms of expertise. Including a social scientist or a community member may give you a better understanding of how your topic directly affects readers’ lives.
- Every person you quote in a story should have expertise, experience, or perspective that adds something to the story.
- Don’t overuse the same few sources from underrepresented groups. Set aside time to build a database of diverse sources relevant to your beat.
- Go beyond your sources! Think about what photos are accompanying a story and whether you’re using inclusive language in the piece.
Leverage all available resources to broaden your expert pool.
- Databases of scientists from diverse backgrounds exist for a lot of scientific fields. Some are field-specific, and some are identity-specific. Make a habit of searching through these.
- Check social media. Scientists from diverse backgrounds may be less likely to be published in high profile journals or quoted in other news stories, so they may be harder to find by traditional means.
- Ask university public information officers to suggest diverse sources, or reach out to PIOs at minority-serving institutions.
- Ask your sources for suggestions, but be careful not to inadvertently veer into tokenism, and don’t expect people from historically marginalized groups to find sources for you.
Track source diversity to reflect the communities you cover.
- Set goals for a minimum percentage of your sources that you want to come from historically excluded groups.
- Sources that reflect the demographic makeup of your audience can help your audience relate to them.
- Start by tracking diversity across just a few dimensions, such as race, gender, and geography, then expand over time.
- Don’t infer a source’s identity based on appearance or name. You could be wrong, and, in some places, may violate privacy laws. Instead, ask sources to self-identify, or send an optional survey after the fact.
- Be transparent about why you want these data and what you plan to do with them.
Further reading: finding and including diverse sources.
This tip sheet for reporters is part of the Science Reporting Quick Tips series, a partnership between The Open Notebook and SciLine.
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