Thank you for publishing this, Ibukun — and for the framing around judgment specifically, which I think is the right word.
One thing I'd add from my work in public health and food systems: the stakes of secondhand interpretation are especially high in sectors where the science is contested or evolving. When a communicator builds their understanding of, say, agroecology debates or vaccine hesitancy through curated explainers, they often absorb the framing of whoever made the explainer — including their blind spots and biases — without realising it. That framing then shows up in messaging, in stakeholder briefings, in campaign strategy.
I've seen this play out most clearly when a journalist asks a question that the explainer never thought to address. A communicator who has read the original reports can engage. One who hasn't is suddenly exposed.
The example with the journalist question is an excellent one, thank you for making it so vivid! And thank you for sharing your wisdom with us. It's a timely reminder for us communicators not to become lazy.
Thank you for publishing this, Ibukun — and for the framing around judgment specifically, which I think is the right word.
One thing I'd add from my work in public health and food systems: the stakes of secondhand interpretation are especially high in sectors where the science is contested or evolving. When a communicator builds their understanding of, say, agroecology debates or vaccine hesitancy through curated explainers, they often absorb the framing of whoever made the explainer — including their blind spots and biases — without realising it. That framing then shows up in messaging, in stakeholder briefings, in campaign strategy.
I've seen this play out most clearly when a journalist asks a question that the explainer never thought to address. A communicator who has read the original reports can engage. One who hasn't is suddenly exposed.
The example with the journalist question is an excellent one, thank you for making it so vivid! And thank you for sharing your wisdom with us. It's a timely reminder for us communicators not to become lazy.