Pere Estupinyà, chemist and biochemist. Science Journal and author, blogger at the Massachussets Institute of Technology (MIT)

1. COMMUNICATING FOOD FOR HEALTH
BENEFITS
 NEW FOOD TRENDS AND MEANINGS 
 PROFESSIONAL IDENTITIES AND FOOD COMMUNICATION 
 INNOVATIVE PRACTICES IN COMMUNICATION 
8th – 9th November, 2012
TARRAGONA
“The Thief of Brains”
Some thoughts from a
self-made scientific communicator

2. Contents
1) Lessons learned after 10 years of professional (main income)
science journalism
- Leaving the lab and entering the TV studio
- Strategies and tools to create a digital identity and to make an
impact
- The (my) different roles of a scientific communicator and journalist
2) Reporting about food and nutrition
- What inspires, interests, bores, and annoys me about food sciences
- Tips to reach the general public
3) Q&A: suggested and open to the audience
COMMUNICATING FOOD FOR HEALTH BENEFITS
Tarragona; 8th – 9th November, 2012

3. Lessons learned after 10 years of science journalism
-Assuming the uncertainty principle:
Chemist & Masters Biochemistry URV / Editor REDES TVE (4) / Project
Manager Smartplanet (1) / Knight Sci Jour Fellow – MIT / Blogger El País /
Communicator Officer at NIH (2) / Freelance science writer-producer-
speaker-radio commentator / Knight Tracker (3) / Consultant OEA-IADB /
Author: “The thief of brains”, “Scratch where it doesn’t itch”
COMMUNICATING FOOD FOR HEALTH BENEFITS
Tarragona; 8th – 9th November, 2012

4. Lessons learned after 10 years of science journalism
How did I move from scientific
research to scientific communication?
- Vocation / Decisiveness / Skills / Innocence
- Learning: you MUST be good at BOTH, science and communications
- Challenges: to think as the audience not as the scientists / to amaze / to
entertain / to give clear and direct messages / to use tools
- Build your own style and personality / to stand out at something
- Create the opportunities
COMMUNICATING FOOD FOR HEALTH BENEFITS
Tarragona; 8th – 9th November, 2012

5. Lessons learned after 10 years of science journalism
How did I build my digital identity?
- Blog in El Pais: “go to the audience; they won’t come to you” / Be original /
“use the most appropriate format” / “if you can; be the source” / “Blog as
marketing – Blog as R&D”
- Social Networks: It’s a measure of your impact / Be useful / think about a
strategy and be consistent / Follow the right people / show off only when
necessary
- Book: a personal project; like an artist / it really makes a difference /
you become a character
COMMUNICATING FOOD FOR HEALTH BENEFITS
Tarragona; 8th – 9th November, 2012

6. Lessons learned after 10 years of science journalism
What´s my role as scientific
communicator?
- Now: Writing my second book / everything else in stand by except the
Tracker / next year might be really intense / interest in Latin America
- I’m not an teacher / I don’t really care about scientific vocations
- As a communicator: creating a positive view of science / to inspire / to
increase scientific thinking / If institutional: to publicise my company
- As a journalist: to inform about scientific findings and implications to
society / to be accurate and critic / I’m not promoting science
COMMUNICATING FOOD FOR HEALTH BENEFITS
Tarragona; 8th – 9th November, 2012

7. Reporting about food and nutrition
What inspires, bores and annoys me
about food and nutrition
- Inspires: the Peruvian potatoes, or anything that’s new, surprising or allows
me to write a story. Thinking on something totally different.
- Bores: the propaganda, the polyphenols of the wine, and the healthy
properties of the cherries
- Annoys me: bad science, scientific lies, distortions (tapas are healthy)
- Interests as a journalist: new findings from good research, calories in
beverages, GMO debates,
COMMUNICATING FOOD FOR HEALTH BENEFITS
Tarragona; 8th – 9th November, 2012

8. Reporting about food and nutrition
Tips to reach the public
Put your contents wherever the public is / build associations
Be useful and interesting / use contents from others if necessary
Content is the key (but not the only one)
Create a brand / style / image
Become a reference
Intelligent and Strategic use of social networks
Try being provocative
Train some of your experts or scientists as speakers
Invest on it (internal or external)
COMMUNICATING FOOD FOR HEALTH BENEFITS
Tarragona; 8th – 9th November, 2012

9. Questions & Answers:
To what extent journalism
(mainstream media, science
journalism, expert bloggers) is able to
improve scientific literacy of general
public?
COMMUNICATING FOOD FOR HEALTH BENEFITS
Tarragona; 8th – 9th November, 2012

10. Questions & Answers:
Can you higlight some examples
about easy-to-understand ways to
communicate scientific contents?
COMMUNICATING FOOD FOR HEALTH BENEFITS
Tarragona; 8th – 9th November, 2012

11. Questions & Answers:
How do you think ethical issues
should be addressed by scientific
journalism?
COMMUNICATING FOOD FOR HEALTH BENEFITS
Tarragona; 8th – 9th November, 2012

12. Questions & Answers:
As scientific author, do you feel that
possibilities and limitations of science
are correctly understood by the
general public?
COMMUNICATING FOOD FOR HEALTH BENEFITS
Tarragona; 8th – 9th November, 2012

13. Other Questions?
pere@mit.edu
@Perestupinya
COMMUNICATING FOOD FOR HEALTH BENEFITS
Tarragona; 8th – 9th November, 2012