A Pathway into Science Journalism ― Building Trust, Breaking Barriers

As a field, science journalism is still upheld by the desire to inform and educate the public and to stray from disinformation.

Nicole Mortillaro ‘99,  a senior science reporter for the CBC, gave a riveting presentation to a Toronto Metropolitan University audience discussing how she got into science journalism, how she deals with readers who doubt her work and her experiences as a woman of colour.

The lecture presentation was moderated by Gavin Adamson, an associate professor at the J-School.

As a graduate of the university’s journalism program, Mortillaro talked frankly about how she was put on academic suspension in her first year. Yet, she was able to push through the slump through her fervent passion for both science and journalism encouraged her to continue her studies.

I wanted to become a science journalist,” said Mortillaro. “I loved astronomy. I loved it since I was very young and I thought ‘That's what I want to do.’ I want to tell people about the world around us.

After graduating, she edited the journal produced by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (external link) , reported on science for Global News online, freelanced and worked in educational publishing. Eight years ago she joined CBC as a science reporter.

Mortillaro said she is fueled by the desire to share scientific facts that disprove misinformation found on the internet. “We as journalists need to present facts. That's our role: to contradict disinformation …despite the pushback from those who refuse to believe in science.”

During the lecture, Mortillaro used the COVID-19 pandemic as an example in which many naysayers opposed the ongoing and evolving research of scientists and the journalists who would report statistics of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I think science reporters, such as myself, (and) health reporters need to convey the message to the public that it’s not that we are providing fake news. It's that science is constantly evolving.”

While Mortillaro said she’s had to deal with critical challenges to her work, recently the attacks have become personal, and racist. As a Black woman, she was frequently one of the few people of colour in her workplaces and felt undermined based on her race and gender. She acknowledged how past science research was founded on racist ideologies.

“Science is supposed to be free of bias and historically, it hasn't been. It didn't apply to anybody other than white people so learning how Black people were classified as inferior, dating back to the 1700s was absolutely jaw-dropping to me.”

This research still impacts Black people, especially women, when it comes to their treatment in healthcare and job opportunities, Mortillaro said, adding that her goal is to dismantle the inherent biases from past scientific studies.

Mortillaro and her colleague Amanda Buckiewicz produced an award-winning special edition of CBC's flagship science radio program, Quirks and Quarks, called Black in Science (external link) .  They examined the biased history and false "race science" that was used to justify slavery, exploitation and exclusion. Interviewing Black researchers and honouring Black trailblazers, the episode provides a layered look at the racist past and hopeful future for Black scientists.

The episode won the 2021 AAAS Kavli Audio Gold and the Silver Medal in Science and Technology at the New York Festivals Radio Awards. Mortillaro said she is proud of the work she did on the episode and hoped others would understand the biases in past studies.

Mortillaro told the journalism school audience that it’s crucial journalists feature diverse perspectives in their reporting.

“We need to do better. All of us, we need to bring historically marginalized voices to the stories we write to the forefront,” said Mortillaro. “It can be challenging, I'm not going to lie. A lot of times I try to find diverse voices for my stories and they're not there.”