Come Again? How to Steer Scientist Sources Away from Jargon - The Open Notebook

Navigating an interview with a scientist doesn’t just take prep and good interviewing skills. The hurdles can be psychological, too, requiring reporters to summon the nerve to interrupt and admit holes in their own knowledge. Every journalist, no matter how prepared, will at some point have to confront a conversation with a scientist that’s so dense with jargon, it’s almost unintelligible. But pressing sources to speak more plainly isn’t a weakness; it's a strength—essential to crafting a story that will resonate with readers.