Read this: Media Masters - Emily Wilson

Media matters with Paul Blanchard welcome to media Masters series of one-to-one interviews with people at the top of the media get to my Emily Wilson editor of New Scientist after starting a career at the Bristol Evening Post she went for the Daily Mirror and then the Daily Mail before joining the Guardian as health editor in 1999 over the next 14 years Emily took on a number of roles including editorship sat G1 magazine and a UK website and managing their Australian operation before being appointed assistant editor of the UK edition in 2016 appointed editor with New Scientist in January 2018 as the first woman to hold the post in the title 62 year history Emily thank you for joining me.

What's that like then 62 years of men know you love it there for 62 years then it is a change.

I think that all the first woman.

Don't.

I do think it all matters soon.

It will be the first robot.

The first robot CEO but for now it's about women and minority kinds of minorities so I have to declare an interest hear that new Scientist is my favourite magazine.

I've been reading it for years and I was hugely inspired by your appointment was going to take the magazine and I asked that as an actual reader like to take it to Moor on a source of a pivot right answer but I would like it to take it out some more readers in the world.

I think there anyone anywhere in the world who cares about science environment and technology and speaks English is a potential new Scientist reader and I've also said for my own family that people from 10 to perhaps younger 271 much older get loads of this magazine because it's an I'd magazine about ideas innovation Discovery and it speaks to some something in loads of people and so yeah, I want to get it to more people.

I do you see yourself as a bit of a assigns advocate as well because

Seems to be a bit of an anti science movement at these days are particularly so with climate change where people but almost wilfully turn away from the evidence.

No not really because I think the client advocacy is just sounds really boring and I know it is just sounds like in a science education science advocacy science-policy.

Just want to kill yourself.

So no, I think that science and technology are more central now to the lives of everyone the planet than they ever have been in terms of how it impacts on their daily life be it through a no through medicine or through environmental pressures 030 you can insinuate exponential-e developing technologies for great time to take over the title and title but secondly given the species with I hope we can all agree made a bit of a mess of our house.

I think that science and technology are the heart of the future of US visas as well be.

We need them to get us out of this fixed, so I'm interested in the role science plays now and how it's going to hopefully help us get to a bright future rather than advocacy per se but you're not interested in promoting the idea that somehow science establishing or some kind of science border your people because they I'm quite weary of people thinking of science thinks this there for everyone to think that too and kind of people are idiots if they don't believe this group of scientists.

Oh, no, I don't see asking as part of our are so who you read a ship.

Is it in a century preaching to the converter? Don't you? I'm imagine I'm not your typical New Scientist read examples of normal Joe waste imagine the robot things are they might Court reporting on and stuff that's happening in science and technology and soffits happening to the planet in in his evidence based way as we possibly can in order to Delight and inform hopefully at all at once our readers know readers of people who.

Really want to find out what's happening the world and they want to hear about the discoveries in the findings there out there.

There's a lot of stuff about hope wrapped up in that but it's also about kind of picking apart the truth from the kind of wash of information and and can't can't tell you everything is not everything is being you know put on try XI in her in a scientific way, but it it's not a bad start for trying to work out.

What's really going on so I'm not for me as the joy of the scientific method realise that it doesn't have all the answers needed lights in that uncertainty no we don't know what makes up 95% of the Universe and your magazine celebrates that every week every week.

We do we do yes.

It's a part of the stuff.

We're looking at is as he knows are black holes white holes and that end of it.

Part of it is what's really going on with it with with our biosphere past it is a medical advances detecting the stuff so much to go out.

So when people and just asking her.

Why are you into science? It's like well.

I mean how could you not be a reliable Intuit scientific back on yourself because I'm reading the intro the home is it very kind of guardian a pretty sight say never worked in science a lot of my colleagues have got some 15 PhDs and neuroscience library.

De la popular science books like I do and then I became a journalist in a general news boots time time again the science of the Khmer found me at 1 for Alan rusbridger then it to the Guardian asked me to the set-up science section which record life they sadly dead dead now.

Yeah, and then I've always been very interested environmental issues mile or so it's come to me time time again and then when this role came up.

I Leapt at it knowing that yes exactly did you want to be a journalist because I mean in chemistry is not normally the first start to something completely lost and I thought you know I'm 21.

You know my whole life behind me.

I don't know what I'm going to do my life dribbling away and everybody else.

I'm already I'm thinking about knows you soon and Arab City no idea in at some point.

I I definitely won't tighten wanna be in the lab, and I didn't I think there will be many lads around the world glad not to have me as a sort of little Firestarter in the corner, but I I can have narrowed it down to low or journalism and then when I say God into both azure training level.

I knew immediately that I wanted I wanted jammers and I wanted the money off roll.

Rope, you know.

So, when did that and then I've been and I'm so lucky to have found a vacation cos that's life much richer if you can find work that really speaks to you on what's different levels and when you start on the first Roman the ladder of journalism, did you know how ambitious what you did you want to be a deterrent? Did you want to be I mean like for like 1213 years in politics and even when I was elected local council about right is 10 Downing Street 20 years from now.

You're this is a very loyal to the Footsoldier in every job.

I did I wasn't very sorry.

I wasn't too politicised.

I didn't know anything about feminism or anything like that when I work for the mail I could see the little stuff on the comment patient the features pages that might have not aligned with me for the visit and politically.

But I just thought well, I'm just a news report and I made him best the news reporter and that's what some animations are always in our want stuff job or a lot stuff will be in Fleet Street and then I won't stop your Daryl I don't you know so it was very sad one of the year on you wanted the next row.

Leave it so I can't believe that.

I'm sitting in presenting the 78th most successful Media podcast on iTunes but life has knocked Imposter syndrome out of me now.

Is that because you fine cos you're so very young that you still feel like I think that it's just hard yards age parenting all of those things and also just the evidence on the ground you know after a while if you use digital safe use of Don real jobs, and it didn't Alton to sit and you know fireball didn't eruption than you soon, then you know sauces.

Eventually, you do get a feel for what you can add.

It does pass if you do indeed stuff up, which I don't know if I went as a sort of mouse junior person in the features department and my job is to edit the for health pages a week, so I wasn't in The Newsroom and I just come from being an unusual and medical news sport at the male.

Yeah, and I've arrived in a very kind of guardian steep culture as a sort of total Daily Mail on Sunday / idiot, who had no idea if you know the things I would say that would go down like a bucket of cold sick at the Guardian would you feel quite at home there monks the Year the Guardian staffers? I definitely a home in about 6 to 9 people less than a little flutters little refugee boat full of people and all went to the Guardian and made a good home for there for many years and many is still there and someone did want so nothing conference than go in.

Little speech about I think it's disgusting that you know Daily Mail employees will come work here, but we are all career journalists and you know we're chosen to go to the Guardian and anyway.

I made a contribution so but eventually I became very at home and then always have spent 100 years that are so by the end.

I will sort of part of the Essential you don't get to skip to the end, so quickly wait where I've got an hour.

Yes, ok, so what came after helping you anything before pages was the next thing on my way up through the features department in at some point.

I went and did the site section downstairs and Newsroom and that was of a different day.

We're all you know there was still some sort of the time.

You know reported to the rain in hats reading novels and big piles of paper and so yes, so did I science section in poison really cool science journalists from Foreman still there something about in the world being dazzling and then eventually I became an assistant features editor deputy features editor features editor.

Which is GTA editor there and then I went downstairs and edited Digimon which is the big it was them big flappy news fit the only way I was able to make that progress was because after I'd had babies.

I could have started to disappear because I didn't want to work full time and had a baby and also I've made a weird decision to move the country.

Just like to say throw impediments in my way and the Guardian let me job share and I went through several years then or job shares and then finally another woman and I went for a job share as features editor and that was the first of the head of department job share the Guardian has had quite a bit older than two done it yeah and then later and then I can and I went off to something else and then later the two of us put together another job share to be I think I'd title was network editor.

Of the website and again we did it together so and if it wasn't for all of that I definitely wouldn't have the experience and the confidence that I have to come and do something out of my dinner and then you moved into management.

Did you not well if you had it on that is quite a lot of management.

Cos you have to run your own department as well as be responsible for the content so joane editor manager senior journalist reports are managers as well as content providers content that was very much as this sea of the Australian operation, was it not now is the editor so going Australia is a company that is wholly owned by the global guardian and on-the-ground.

There's a nmd hu kind of runs the commercial side and then head sore red 24tb want to call it who runs the editorial side and they were really closely to run the company.

So the walls that sort of exec bits to it, but I was also responsible for all of the content and also the team and all that management staff so basically so whenever to meet you if you are an editor, there's a huge amount of management that goes with it because it's not something you can ask you can't ask someone else to management team and if you do do that tends to end in tears about 3 years ago.

He enjoyed anywhere that was how he said it was all HR legal you just waiting it's like wading through treacle and no easy easy eat desserts are good but you're sitting around and you know discussing a cover story or you're in ideas meetings and everyone just might not be good with.

Yesterday I thought the geekiest conversation.

I've been in so far and scientists wherever I was discussing his 250th anniversary of the periodic table next year in people talk about but would it be the same on Mars answer? No, but it says that's the best bits but when you're unable to bleed if you want to grow and change and all that stuff which you have to be responsible for it involves people involved management involves HR involves money resourcing all the rest of it so anyone going into being absent thinking they're just gonna sit around and perfect their covers is in for a nasty shock to tell us what the move to Australia then how long will you be there for us as I've no lender as editor say there was a reshuffling of the top brass around the guardian Australia became open and beard bhadbhade begged all of those things to do it and put myself forward.

And instantly knew I would love to do it and Australia when will I be just like British people just Les Miserable that's my view.

I loved I loved everything there before so to just over two years now, so went out with the families and yeah based in Sydney but we not we now the Guardian have they have teams in Sydney Melbourne Canberra and then you know other people dotted around the country in Brisbane places.

I've got several client slow to go out again, so I had to learn all about Australia I had to learn was deliberate.

What was the motivation if you don't mind asking was nothing most noble of all is it easy to alternative is it to climb the career ladder? There is just pure brilliant adventure and it was there was a huge learning in there.

That's and it's still only appetit huge learning said that I had to there's also lots Australians on the team and then and also be grew the team with lots of Australian spot in Brisbane Australia market went there this really excellent and Browns but they made a decision to when he went online to kind of be a bit trashy and people were crying out for serious.

I guess he's a broadsheet style digital jammers and that was also really digital so yeah, it was fantastic is Simon it's a fantastic experience reproducing stuff.

That's really wanted by an audience than and and it was growing as well and continues to grow and become more successful, so that's fantastic was up the colour furstenberg all-encompassing job in terms of you were the editor or it was the most on my own Joe

Does an S6 although I done jobs whilst probably responsible you know for that many people there is much more that you know the representatives of the Guardians brand out there and while everyone she slept in the UK we had a lot of responsibility about the first sees the Australian content everything within the Australian day, but also well, London slept we were running the website list totality set any big story globally some kind of huge horrific attack somewhere anything like that.

We would you know we were just say to the reporters never mind about you know the kangaroo whatever else so doing, What would be unfair because you would very rarely.

Do you want to be all kangaroo story so I'm being fed to myself but we would yank everyone over to a big global effort so there were two pieces of the door.

When was Australia and when was and being part of the Guardians 24-hour news machines.

How which was really excited too so I'm used to Newsroom

Knights there's a couple of staffers that are basically snoozing in a London Newsroom I did not know that the Guardians overnight web site the guardian.co.uk run from Australia now complete that's incredible and also there's a ticking I don't know how big they are now but when I was there.

We had six or seven on in Australia recorded foreign death but really it's the it's the UK desk in Australia SoundCloud is another man's explain the time America UK Europe woke up and had brilliant because it's a very very powerful weapon in their Arsenal this is why the internet is witchcraft Holly silicon chips and such a waste of time and be there for about two years.

You back and when I came back.

I did a job centre in which is I get any Santa's family centring around science and the environment and running that reporting for the Guardian and then which was fantastic and brilliant and then I got a call about me Santa's when the call came through.

You knew that job was for you.

I did not long before the people who eventually going to give it to me knew it.

I was absolutely certain Amelia that it was for me why I just need it was a perfect fit of Gotham 3 sounds bad, but it was a perfect fit with an organisation that could really do with me and a job that I could really do with as well, but it was just I had all the right spirits and also he had what I wanted internship opportunity, so I felt it was good for them and good for me in equal measure so it's very rare that you can feel like that.

Tell me about new job with magazines got what about 120000 in printing and obviously many millions online much lower than it ought to be because it's such a such an important subject and such an important area so for me.

It feels like it should be much more.

What is the motivation for the people buying it? Is is there a mixture of the motivations that I buy it because it explains topics in Greater detail but also without dumbing down the language in a Buddha us in a way that I can understand and if by a wide range of people so some people want to keep up to Dawlish in different things so you get your physics Junkies and your people who really want to drill down and different areas and Away you wouldn't wouldn't get from science journalism in the main in in a newspaper, but you also get people who just want to be delighted with the latest news the latest discoveries and

Elena and then you get a few people who love to read it to find an error, so they can write to us and you know who will have a part of a sort of the you know who who ready for party brands and what it does biting your does we will need to be beaten not responded to every week and I don't really see why everyone doesn't read it and I but I guess people some some people to put off by the word science.

It's that sounds boring and it's genuinely my favourite magazine.

I've never said that if any other podcast relationships with the research team's you do get a lot of global exclusive zihadi team of reporters and how good contacts and

That's one big thing.

I just need to think about kind of being exclusive, who's had in the past couple of years.

You know the first three parent baby deepmind getting hold of all about Annie NHS patient data and other New Scientist dory menopause being reverse all those big things they come from a mixture of contacts reported to snow in UPS people having his conversations ICO foi ICO foi and sometimes scouring the literature that no one else is scouring the field.

I just nodded is it yet yet, but honestly that's my Imposter syndrome that what I just met you yet sometimes just scouring the scientific Literature in the way that others aren't so not to be mean if it says it's no different from any other type of journalism that you've just got to work hard work you contact keep you out of the ground keep your eyes on his open.

As every other form of Janice and you can do it really badly.

Will you can do it really well and you can you can do your scouring and your story finding badly all well and then you can do your reporting on it by the way this is exactly the same set of tools to have a reader in mind when you when you actually right in the copies of his other the local newspaper.

You'll have to say is the local library burnt down to the ground yesterday and you know unemployed man 22 has been arrested you know facts on this.

It's not do you have you got a duty to explain or cos I don't know a lot of things that I want to explain the box Roland Blanchard boxes with a lot of knowledge in the staff.

So there's no apart from me.

Everyone's got bad about that.

They all know a lot and we have people who really know about Potter vs.

Some people who really know.

Batman emoji answer that helps us with the sifting process it helps us work out.

What is just nonsense from what is really a step forward or what is just publicity by a certain laboratory in terms of where we pointed apps.

How can you ever know if you fit if you really understand something about that helps you explain it well and so hopefully any reasonably scientifically literate or reasonably curious person should be able to read are Megan and joy.

I hope there's also a lot of inbuilt knowledge in in the team about what we've done before and how the readers reacted and we can also see online what people really enjoy it and what they will pay to read and whether they stay with us having understood the level which repitching but they said you're ready to ship to reach out to new younger more diverse audiences, but we giving any other two can have to do lists and

How are you going about doing that will be doing a different level.

There's a sort of shop fronts level at which you can tackle diversity in that is if you ever magazine and every human being pictured in it is a white middle-aged man that sends a message to the readers so we try not to do that and to think about reflect diversity view actual readership and we try and make it look like a place where many people are welcome and that's that's a sort of I guess the most superficial that will but important on the low sensor the next level down there a hoot hoot you.

Go to so for example in I don't know when This podcast will go out but in this week's issue, which is dated 8th to September the 20th at happen to be in here today one is with a black female surgeon has become a major activist on the vaginal mesh story which is a big can International

Story and the second interview is with a complete science sci-fi genius who's China's scan of top sci-fi author then stays name wrong me now, but I think it's Lucy Sheen but apologies to Mandarin speaking again to try to do something called the three body problem if I see a trilogy about an alien invasion and its extraordinary staff and Lewis of those are the two interviews on tonight you can make changes with who you go and speak to you and hear you give a platform for and and and I can come down to the individual stories and trying to encourage her to do it within a science story or a bit depending on who did the side but then you go to the secondary comment is your child so all about is underneath all that you have to have a more diverse staff so we're working on a bunch of an issue.

Tubes around that, but obviously every time we hire.

We think very deeply about these issues, so I'm the first female editor of New Scientist as obviously of the fantastic step in the right direction lyrics the top job exactly Bernard is putting his money where his mouth issue.

Is that the right phrase but yes he is so he takes his really seriously you mentioned as a physics story then clear allowing the physics experts to decide with it is a story that do you decide how you gone to write in terms of the language because you want to LE8 non physicists.

Are you the kind of a filter that it has to be to know where that you can understand because at least Stephen Hawking's example in this book A Brief History of Time he's headed to tell them that with every single additional equation you put in you'd have the readership doesn't seem to get into so much detail, but it does explain it in the detail needed and everyone is alive to the issue of are we getting it right in terms of where we pitching it, so well, that's what

That's what journalism isn't it? It's like taking super complicated stuff and trying to package it up in a way.

That's not stupid that isn't so gutted of all substance and and and in which really communicate something and yet doesn't put loads of readers off.

I'm sure there are days will get it right.

Did we get it wrong everyone takes part we do in terms of the accuracy.

You need people who really understands the stuff and you really contribute and but we also have superb editors and subletters who are watching for that kind of thing and I don't know where the we get it right or wrong every day, but that's something we all work towards.

What's the typical week for you, but what do you actually do what I do is there is very unlike newspapers where it's like the lot of daily.

It's less like that stuff goes up on the website daily.

It's a digital first news operation, but in terms of the magazine are being produced 0203.

Weeks out two weeks out one week out so there's all kinds of production Marx that must be hit culminating on Tuesday when we must actually send the pages to the factory or store it won't all the pages have gone.

There's a set of Wednesday which is a kind of pulling together down.

Lot of the ideas meetings and then it all the kind of flour pages begins and then a lot of meetings will be around general ideas.

There's actually physics meeting on Wednesday and they mean when they say physics they we study physics in its broadest sense of that council tax and chemistry and space so there is an actual physics meeting so that the ID yesterday's ideas generating meetings and there's me things about which of those ideas.

We should do and how we should do them and there are meetings about what?

To go in different tissues are what should go on the cover.

There's loads of meetings around the artwork, I think that need Sciences has the most beautiful covers many magazine on the Planetary sort that.

And so there a meeting for the brilliant team about what this is the idea.

This is what we think that covers through should be but how do we communicate that not just in pictures but in words and so kind of words and I have to work really closer to and and this is the bit that I've never done before and I'm just a learner which is how to do covers brilliantly because because dolomite my Barcelona would say is non-trivial working out how to do Pokémon trivial non-trivial menu sentences great debunking digital miss too late using Facebook makes racist attacks more likely I remember reading that a recent piece.

Do you think there's a lot of misinformation around?

Today did you see yourself as having some role in tackling that a lot then? How long it is so and it and it and it and that it makes the good journalism if you get people to if people are being hyperbolic there or inaccurate here and we do see if I've had to try and put the record straight as much as we can and I like it when we put the record straight and it goes against this it's ended up slaughtering a sacred cow that I myself have I like that I liked it when I read analysis peace in the mouth the other day saying that guy phosphates in of the big weed killer doesn't cause cancer because you want you know in your secret heart you always think you know big industry big Pharma.

They're always out to kill us.

So I like it when it puncture something.

I might see clearly thought this through some of the missing Station going around could be just accidental some of it.

Quite a good example of misinformation or at least shanky shanky stuff in the media was this week when public Health England came out with that thing saying everyone should take this heart age test did you take it? It's a bit Stella it tells you your heart age, but the test itself is really stupid basically if you don't know what your cholesterol level is new 30-something your woman and you say don't know what your cholesterol level is because why would you it? Will send you to your GP there's loads of it's just not a very clever test today.

I'm not interested in your help anyway to appear healthy women will probably list of reminded about good health and the hard but for public Health England to come out and promotes chunky test that's a bit stupid and doesn't really do the job is all bit wobbly so

Yes, that was the peace we were due which is bonking ever.

Just keep pulling out the truth from what's an ideal story of feature for you.

Is it something that's news lead or is it is it reframing you know something that sounded like challenging a traditional nose and I mean that one of the pictures.

I like something is where they say physics IV be understood.

I guess the ideal feature is when it says pulling together.

Then everything is new I mean.

I will be your ideal.

Wouldn't it? When I ring about a kind of New Frontier where there's just so much new stuff pulling together stuff in a new way.

I'm so much new stuff is in of happening.

Then we could general news.

We have the editor of BBC 10 news on Paul royal recently he was saying in the last five years everything's gone mental has been to general elections to referendum brexit trump blah blah.

You know do you have enough happening barriers?

And you wouldn't say yes, I kind of do you know you'd have to keep on top of that minute by minute other areas like te-ai.

It's happening so far it has happened before you've even reported on it.

So there are bits where you can hardly keep up stuff out that feels like a lot of Wayne Rooney we we have news everyday, but we only have one week and it feels like a lot to go out and there's always more than we can get in for that.

Where do you have to be quite garden legally Innocence you know if you if you making claims about save pharmacology or something and you make out an error about her.

You're not particular drug or whatever the Pharma companies all over you ordered it tend to just say is honest mistake medical monitor being dodgy got to think about could BBC what would it mean? What would we do? So who's the mall to get wrong because I made it in in the previous example of the local library burns down as long as he get the age of the firefighter.

Right, there's not a lot to get wrong not to diminish that book with this is this is quick technique order some more general background to this this feels less less.

I don't know what I'm crossing my fingers are all my toes evening.

That's not rain scientific.

What will New Scientist look like 2 years from now welcomes exactly like this, but obviously our stories will get better and better but the Arts is gonna be just as beautiful.

I think that in terms of our ambition.

I don't know if you've read some autonomous by Annalee new it suits fantastic tack and sci-fi writer and 2050 hero is a swashbuckling farmer pirate, but she still have stealing big Pharma ticket to the poor and she gets all her up-to-date news from New Scientist in 203020 50 so I think that's what we're aiming at to be a reliable news source.

In the middle 2 far future, I would say and to do that.

We need to be more digital.

That's a future so in terms of the mag.

I hope that will the art would just get more more beautiful, but I don't see it, so I still going to be in 2 years and object much like this if that's what you're asking but online.

I hope we're very much more in what way I know will be engaging with more people more deeply on the bigger bigger audience age more deeply with the readers and potential readers online and the other thing we do is that we have a live show so live is also a big thing that very important to us know I'm a 43 year old bloke old giffer and I can remember growing up that there was a weekly science programme on BBC One tomorrow's world.

I can remember when there was a section of the garden called life which was incredibly well edited on my ass.

And all of these things I put now you know this seems to be a lack of mainstream.

Signs Jinn is an hour.

Is that you how do you view that? Is that a commercial opportunity to step into the void filler vacuum contradict you but there's loads of science of out there contradict awake.

Don't worry and and and I think there's much more science and medical environment 14 in the knees.

Do you need in the ever has been before and it's really good quality mostly even if people put up some key press releases sometimes.

I think it's an improving picture so we have a really have a USP in going into things that we would hope better and more deeply and with a certain authority that that we had the others may be don't have but I think that science reporting in general special in the UK is in Fantastic shape and yet.

It doesn't seem to have made inroads on issues like climate change.

Appropriate we had Alan rusbridger you're a boss I sit in that chair a while ago and he was saying how he's incredibly dismayed that climate change is one of the most important challenges facing humanity, but it doesn't make then you stay today and also it's often presented as a matter of opinion.

You know it is a story here on the news and joining us now is a scientist and also some absolute crazy lunatic you think's climate change is a hoax.

You can't present those two equally no you can't I am office in not watching that TV channel and I'll be really depressing Sonos app main course.

It's must be a terrible time to be a climate scientist with this or tornadoes blowing around of course.

There's more and more nonsense but underlying that I think that scientific sort of literacy even if people don't know what that's what it's called is on the up.

I think from all of Culture from news reporting from

Films from TV people becoming more savvy about this planet hanging in space and that you can't be heard screaming in space.

I think people knowledge is going up.

I think he was always about the health is going up even though we may not be seen the evidence for how that's going to impact yet.

I think if you just if you just talk about UK newspapers.

I think mostly they do a great job on Saturday around there are some of the navy don't do great job on climate.

It is true because we're not hanging in Space the mass of the Earth created distortion in space-time of could go on but I was eating to correct your and some science of the moment ago, but it seems to be whether a lot of editorial operations are running that they start to use the the magazine as a platform to build events on what is the Genesis of New Scientist live other than

Additional Revenue and way to monetize a brand in a different way, it's a huge thing last year there were 30000 people or Centre and it's a mixture of talks with brilliant people all about matters of ideas and secondly lots and lots exhibits and learning so far that it appeals.

We didn't understand really how it how much would appeal even two young children and such a diverse range of people turning up on so it's been such a success.

We see it as a big part of our future and we're not quite sure how we're gonna roll it out or what will do yet? Have you been know and I am literally the answer to 3 times its been on for every single time so means we're not and I think next year on year for I'm going to make sure that it's in my diary months in advance.

I can pick something else in Britain

Solutely loves attention of the magazine, ad or is it something that a separate team put on control under your guidance may be a report to my boss and we all were really closely with them a very senior person predatorial is on that team and who is head of Physics expert and former chief each letter from the bank.

So she's gone over so she's putting together the programming.

You know kind of getting the people all to come along so it's very much all of our project is the world's greatest is it the world's greatest science festival it is because we believe it to be I don't have any sort of double blind trials or anything but we all think it is double blind randomised placebo-controlled trials.

Think it is so we're going with boldly saying so is it going to be building up a momentum? Is is year 3 a lot better than year one was in terms of the the calibre of the speakers the you know you must have learning times of outfit effective organisation and butter prices happened stuff has evolved into an ISA stuff progresses involves quite sure what I can say about it.

I'll have one go ask you then then you can do the Paxman things I can ask it 9 times because obviously lots of other editorial brands have tried lots of different ways that im in cosmopolitan for example.

They actually have created some housing Incredible Adventures of Zizzi's one but the other gonna be other ways to have the common touch points don't need the brand other ways which readers can interact with a van in some other way.

Ways if that's what you're talking about you scientist television company with Karan BSAC have a minibus in a room and it's important.

We don't try to do everything and that we just do a few things well.

That's really important as well.

So when are we doing everything? I just give me picking a few things in the future and hoping to do them really well does New Scientist open any doors4u like you know lots of national newspaper editors of said it's stressful, but they do get the best ticket to the opera and things like that.

You know do you get any advantages whatsoever.

Can you ever drop invited into any Laboratories or no? I am sure it does I just cos I'm only 4 month and I haven't had time to lift my nose up yet.

So but they certainly no one no one sends you with molten ticket or anything like that so.

Clemency New Scientist centre court tickets, please final in Piccadilly Cinemas idea when this comes out what is as you would expect it to be and what's racing driver.

What's different to what you'd expect to be for you to the past that's true at the garnet Street the times of London it's true at the New York Times it's true loads and loads of news organisations that from the outside.

He may not realise it but she everyone in there is no it isn't really tedious dugo despicable is a colon.

The one of those groups of people I knew they would be and you and you know it is people to go to work and thinking that they're not just putting out of Margot putting out some news stories by actually making the world a better place that she has a privilege for that to be your life the differences in culture from where I work before or more subtle than that one thing.

I haven't really got with how a political New Scientist is and how important is any kind of Tipping into any of the political positioning ends up being quite painting in a in a world of Culture Wars gone mad and we're in this extraordinary position of having somehow managed to dodge the taint of any particular political Strand and so I hope but there's a real feel in the place as well.

We everyone tried to follow the facts, but still there is this time to politics?

Remember something special about new scientists where they really are about not about agendas knows about politics not about what you think you know but about really trying to find out what the truth is whatever the you know that caused you sure it's whatever that that's got something 100m Stephanie outside.

What do you ever get political like for example if there was a general election even if you wouldn't say back a political party that it would be great to have an assessment in detail of the science objectives of each political party.

You know cos they often the same spit of the manifesto is like a couple of talking paragraph that in terms of these there are bigger than whether their political would ever so good example was before I started but it was brexit and we had a look at the impact of potential impact on the environment of of the shift so so we absolutely in the world, but we're not were in the world in a way that allows us to just try and Report the

Space facts without getting into sides are getting into culture Wars you're the first female editor of new Sanders resend, it won't be the last editor.

We have a lot of people listening to this podcast or aspiring journalist and student Genesis on many of the might want to be the age of the next but one editor of New Scientist what advice would you give to them Dead starting out in their career? They say 20 years and now they want your job.

What do they need to do between now and then to sit in your chair? Yeah? I mean you know you do have new entrants you know but she didn't exist back in the day off powered inexistente back in the day feels like a harder environment though the latter, if it's even up to date but about 1 in 4 people think they might want to go to the media and so it is harder.

Would I would say is that you are obviously if you if you.

How to get into science reporting off I think it would be a good idea to start with a computing engineering science degree and ideally higher education and the second thing I would say is that is thanks for that internet week you you can become a content provider right now.

There's no excuse for not having a podium podcast a Blog wearing black wood.

Everyday is innovate right now.

Obviously if you think of setting of a media pocket.

Don't do that at slots taken.

I'll kill you so I would so be properly educated.

I would say in in the area rather than doing some specific science wrong about against science communication to be I don't know anything about them, but I would say.

Get that body work behind you the reasons communications degrees.

I probably would say learn about the area going into if you are going to something like that.

It's not that you definitely need a science degree to be a science course on it, but it does help get a body of content out there.

I would say and then after that it's about it's about getting jobs.

Whether it's freelance jobs that get you a foot in the door or some kind of scheme.

That's up to you, but you done the best you possibly can buy having stuff you can points at there's my block flats are right about science every week.

There's my funny saying there's my podcast women should about diversity your lady think women have it harder inside how many is it an old boys club?

In the other day and the other day month ago as a special name for the day and that was about celebrating people from being a diverse range of sexualities in science in the fact that still needed suggest that it's not a kind of perfect world of equality.

We had a beautiful rainbow cake at work very gorgeous.

So I think that there's plenty of evidence that women do have it harder.

We are the male opera singers question god I hope I leave it happy and thriving really striving as a band in order to you know b.

That great future new source for the robot loving former pirate in the future Farah and Lees book.

That's what I hope, but I'm feel like I'm quite a few years away from that Touchwood, what helps a lot question then what's been the worst day of your career.

So fine you're in the whole of eugenics and career and to end on a positive note.

What sort of been the best day of girl reporter as we're alone on the Daily Mirror years ago and we had to think it was Eric Eric Clapton's house of been some kind of Fire and we all her hair down there and Eric Clapton came out of the street is like me in the mirror photographer or whatever and he submitted a few words no one had their notebooks or whatever and then he went and he said something about a week raptors guitars or whatever it was and between us all stood around and it isn't as we don't have a takeaway as you go phones in those are some can piece together what we thought he said and one of the phrases.

I thought you said I wasn't really sure was that im getting a bit of the few little fillers things as all completely anodyne completely harmless out of 25 year.

Did you know the next day was the Splash or the mirror and it just all I'm gutted I'm pretty sure it was a son of filler quote anyway, you live and learn but I'm not sure but it was an embarrassing thing.

I didn't tell anyone because I know that kind of sort of made up of quail padded out a quotation headlines is the way to bury bad news it sounds podcast we're gonna listening misery dentist cancel the litany of war and an end on a high know what's been the best day of your career so far.

To have a happy day full of ideas and good colleagues in terms of sort of raw thrills Van Dyke most generous.

It's those big news days.

Not always good news, but she's done families news.

What's been the most memorable storyville a chance remembers where they were when they got the call from these daft.ie Notting Hill drove straight to the nearest man human the night desk and 911 again where everyone remembers you know exactly where they were what it what was happening when I got right to The Newsroom over to you, just Stories not interview.

Car of the future humanity way, but in terms of the visceral moments in your career Emily Wilson editor of my favourite magazine ever New Scientist I really enjoyed this.

Thank you as much free time.

Thank you all right angles podcast in association with big things.