Risky Talk
18 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 2 years ago -How can we best communicate the risks and the evidence on the most pressing issues of the day – from genetics and nutrition, to climate change and immigration? David Spiegelhalter is joined by the world’s top experts to tackle urgent, practical challenges which affect us all.
Homepage Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
How Misinformation Spreads
December 14, 2021 05:30 - 53 minutes - 98.2 MBFrom anti-vaxx propaganda to partisan political news and wild covid conspiracies, social media is awash with dodgy, even dangerous (mis)information. Who is pushing this content online, what are they trying to achieve and how can we stop it - without censoring free speech? David is joined by a panel of info-warriors fighting for a less toxic and more truthful online ecosystem: Chloe Colliver is a specialist in disinformation and extremism online. She’s the Head of Digital Policy and Strat...
Covid By Numbers
October 14, 2021 04:05 - 40 minutes - 74.6 MBExcess deaths, vaccine harms and lockdowns: how should experts communicate about these complex, politically explosive issues? Michael Blastland quizzes statistical duo David Spiegelhalter and Anthony Masters on what they’ve learnt while writing a weekly column for the Observer. They explore the importance of context and comparison, the trustworthiness of sharing uncertainty and the power of a good analogy. The graphic discussed in the episode - which compares the potential harms and benefi...
Communicating Evidence to Policymakers
April 26, 2021 06:18 - 49 minutes - 91.3 MBPoliticians and civil servants are hungry for data to help design effective policy. How do we best collect and communicate this evidence - to support good governance and public accountability? Joining David to explore interactive dashboards, misinformation and what’s not in the data are: Professor John Aston - former chief scientific adviser to the Home Office, now Harding Professor of Statistics in Public Life Dr Laura Gilbert - Chief Data Analyst at No. 10 Downing St Professor Dian...
Doing Journalism with Data
March 28, 2021 07:55 - 46 minutes - 85.7 MBStatistics need care and context - but journalists are under pressure to craft engaging stories. Is there a way of doing both? Joining David to explore how you turn data into a clear and compelling story are: Caelainn Barr - Data Projects Editor at The Guardian Tom Chivers - Science Editor at UnHerd and the author of How To Read Numbers: A Guide to Statistics in the News (and Knowing When to Trust Them) Paul Milner - Programmes Director at National Numeracy Check out Tom’s Statist...
Communicating about Vaccines
November 23, 2020 05:30 - 41 minutes - 75.5 MBCommunicating about vaccines has never been higher stakes. How do we do it well? Joining David to explore the importance of scientific rigour, listening and building relationships are: Professor Heidi Larson - Director of the Vaccine Confidence Project and the author of Stuck: How Vaccine Rumours Start — and Why They Don’t Go Away. Professor Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group and creator of the Vaccine Knowledge Project. *** Views to share? Get in touch on Twitte...
Communicating In a Crisis
September 18, 2020 05:00 - 36 minutes - 50 MBChemical spills, food scares, terrorist attacks and, of course, pandemics: How can we help manage and reduce the impact of these frightening events with good communication - even while evidence is scant and uncertainty predominates? Joining David to share their experience from the frontlines are: Professor Brooke Rogers OBE - Behavioural scientist at KCL, and SAGE participant advising the UK government on the coronavirus measures and risks to national security. Professor Lord John Kreb...
Transcript - Communicating In a Crisis
September 17, 2020 15:57Chemical spills, food scares, terrorist attacks and, of course, pandemics: How can we help manage and reduce the impact of these frightening events with good communication - even when evidence is scant and uncertainty predominates? Joining David to share their experience from the frontlines are: Professor Brooke Rogers OBE - Behavioural scientist at KCL, and SAGE participant advising government on the coronavirus measures and risks to national security Professor Lord John Krebs - forme...
Communicating Evidence in a Pandemic
August 20, 2020 05:00 - 39 minutes - 54.6 MBThe public appetite for scientific evidence during the coronavirus pandemic has been voracious. But communicating it well is a fiendish challenge. How can governments give clear advice while also acknowledging uncertainty? How can scientists debate complex evidence while supporting strong interventions? And how can the media scrutinise public health measures without undermining them? Joining David to navigate the principles and pitfalls of communicating evidence in a pandemic are: Victori...
Transcript - Communicating Evidence in a Pandemic
August 19, 2020 15:20The public appetite for scientific evidence during the pandemic has been voracious. But communicating it well is a fiendish balancing act. How can governments give clear advice while also acknowledging uncertainty? How can scientists debate complex evidence while supporting strong interventions? And how can the media scrutinise public health measures without undermining them? Joining David to navigate the principles and pitfalls of communicating evidence in a pandemic are: Victoria Macdo...
Confronting Uncertainty with Tamsin Edwards
May 23, 2020 05:00 - 36 minutes - 50.2 MBFor leading climate scientist Dr Tamsin Edwards, probabilities and possible futures are part of her everyday work. She joins David to explore uncertainty in different aspects of her life: as a statistician and mathematical modeller, as a communicator about possible climate futures, but also as a cancer patient faced with a life-changing decision. Tamsin and David explore Why 'all models are wrong but some are useful' How Tamsin engages with climate change skeptics and Extinction Rebelli...
Confronting Uncertainty with Tamsin Edwards - Transcript
May 21, 2020 18:42For leading climate scientist Dr Tamsin Edwards, probabilities and possible futures are part of her everyday work. She joins David to explore uncertainty in different aspects of her life: as a statistician and mathematical modeller, as a communicator about possible climate futures, but also as a cancer patient faced with a life-changing decision. *** David: In this episode, I’m speaking with Dr Tamsin Edwards all about confronting uncertainty - as a climate scientist as a communicator, b...
Coronavirus: Understanding the Numbers
April 02, 2020 13:19 - 26 minutes - 36.3 MBThe unfolding coronavirus pandemic is a story driven by numbers. But how reliable are the numbers we have? What can the data really tell us – and what are the major areas of uncertainty? In this special episode, recorded on 1st April, Michael Blastland and Professor David Spiegelhalter help us separate the signal from the noise. Why the absolute numbers of confirmed cases and deaths from Covid 19 are dodgy, but the rate at which those numbers change is still a useful indicator. Why Nor...
Transcript - Coronavirus: Understanding the Numbers
April 02, 2020 13:10The unfolding coronavirus pandemic is a story driven by numbers. But how reliable are the numbers we have? What can the data really tell us – and what are the major areas of uncertainty? This is the transcript of a special episode of Risky Talk, recorded on 1st April. Michael Blastland and Professor David Spiegelhalter help us separate the signal from the noise. *** Michael Hello, and welcome to a special edition of a Risky Talk with Professor David Spiegelhalter. Except th...
Transcript - Communicating About Climate Change
March 05, 2020 19:30How can we communicate about climate change in the most engaging, informative and even persuasive ways? What are the different audiences we need to reach, and how can we craft effective communications for each of them? Joining David to guide us through the psychology, politics and science of climate change communication we have: Dr Anthony Leiserowitz, Director of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication Dr Emily Shuckburgh OBE, Climate scientist and Director of Cambridge Zero ...
Communicating about Climate Change
March 01, 2020 21:45 - 51 minutes - 72.6 MBHow can we communicate about climate change in the most engaging, informative and even persuasive ways? What are the different audiences we need to reach, and how can we craft effective communications for each of them? Joining David to guide us through the psychology, politics and science of climate change communication we have: Dr Anthony Leiserowitz, Director of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication Dr Emily Shuckburgh OBE, Climate scientist and Director of Cambridge Zero ...
Stats in the Headlines: Crime, Immigration and Political Polls
March 01, 2020 21:30 - 41 minutes - 59.1 MBStats about crime, immigration, unemployment and political polls fuel political debate and drive headlines. But how are these ‘soft’ numbers really calculated? How uncertain should we be about them? And how can they be reported honestly and usefully - without losing trust? Joining David to make sense of the stats and how to communicate them are: Dr Robert Cuffe, Head of Statistics at the BBC Ed Humpherson, Director General for Regulation at the UK Statistics Authority Dr Sarah Dryhur...
Communicating Genetic Risk
March 01, 2020 21:13 - 53 minutes - 75.9 MBPersonal genetic risk information is set to be become part of everyday healthcare. But is some unhelpful, even dangerous? What psychological impact does it have on patients? And do doctors know enough about genetics to effectively guide patients and inform treatment decisions? Joining David to discussing what genetic risks should be communicated and how, we have: Professor Robert Green, Director of the Genomes to People group at Harvard Medical School. Dr Gemma Chandratillake, Course d...
Introducing Risky Talk
February 05, 2020 16:23 - 1 minute - 4.63 MBRisky Talk features conversations with the world’s top experts in risk and evidence communication addressing urgent, practical challenges: How can doctors communicate the risks and benefits of medical treatment? How should scientists communicate evidence about climate change? How can journalists make numbers meaningful to readers? How should government institutions convey important statistics? Hosted by David Spiegelhalter (@d_spiegel) Get in touch with us on Twitter (@RiskyTalkPod) or e...