@europarl.europa.eu @epstoa.bsky.social #esmhsummerschool

And honestly? Walking into a room full of brilliant, fast-talking journalists was intimidating. But they asked thought-provoking questions and made me feel welcome from the very first moment. I’m incredibly grateful for the experience.

📸Diandra Vanigioli (Pictures 1&3)

📈Going viral shouldn’t be the main goal when telling science stories on social media. Impact should be. Inspiring curiousity, provoking thoughts, and helping people to understand the world better.

My main takeaways:

🤝 If we want better public understanding of science, we need better collaboration between scientists, communicators, and journalists, and that’s exactly what initiatives like the ESMH are working towards.

At the summer school, I learned the feeling is mutual.
Many journalists find it frustrating or difficult to collaborate with scientists.

As someone who usually trains scientists in communication, I often hear them say they’re afraid to engage with journalists: worried about being misquoted, misunderstood, or losing control of their message.

So this June, I had the privilege of co-hosting a masterclass on science storytelling on social media alongside Pierre Girard, as part of the summer school of the European Science Media Hub (ESMH), a program designed for young science journalists.

Fast forward to May, an email landed in my inbox:
"Would you like to speak at the ESMH Summer School at the European Parliament in Brussels?"
Safe to say, I couldn’t say no.

In den 1950ern wurde Contergan (Thalidomid) an Schwangere verschrieben, ohne je in der Schwangerschaft getestet worden zu sein.
Die Folge: Fehlbildungen bei Tausenden Neugeborenen. Ein medizinischer Skandal.

The circuit is!

Thank you!!