Signe Normand: “Without a doubt, our expertise has contributed to a more nuanced public debate”

What are your motivations for sharing your knowledge as an expert commentator?

I feel that it’s my duty to share my research knowledge, and it’s part of my role as chair of the Biodiversity Council. I wear different hats depending on the situation – either as a professor at AU or as chair of the Biodiversity Council, where I only represent the scientific consensus of the council’s members.

What do you consider before saying yes or no to an interview?

The very first thing I do is find out why I’ve been asked. Is it as a member of the Biodiversity Council, or as a professor with the specific scientific expertise the media outlet needs? I always state the perspective I’ve speaking from so there’s no ambiguity.

How do you prepare?

I always make sure to get the questions in advance – that’s something I’ve learned over time. Then I take the time to think through my answers. I ask myself the questions: Who is the audience? What is the journalist’s intention with the question? I’ve had a tendency to reply in a way that’s a bit too complicated, detailed and scientist-y. If I do that, there’s a chance the journalist won’t be able to use my answer and will misunderstand me, and that leads to errors in the article – which is irritating for both of us.

How do you balance the goal of communicating your knowledge in an accessible way with your commitment to scientific rigour?

I always try to simplify what I’m explaining, because if I put myself on autopilot, it often ends up being to complicated and the journalist might write something completely different than what I actually said. It’s not just about the journalist – it’s also about me doing a better job of answering in a simpler way. Sometimes I come right out and say to the journalist: ‘If you ask me in that way, I can’t give you a simple answer, but if you ask me like this, I can.’ For example, I’m often asked why we need to protect biodiversity. That puts me in a dilemma: Either I give them a short answer like ‘Because biodiversity has inherent worth’, or I elaborate on all of the many benefits we humans derive from diverse, robust ecosystems, and that’s typically too long and complicated for the journalist to include the nuances of the argument.

How do you deal with the criticism or pushback that expert commentators sometimes have to deal with?

To be honest, I rarely encounter criticism from others – most of it comes from me. Sometimes I spend a long time speculating after an interview: Could I have responded differently? Was I misunderstood? Questions like that stay with you for a long time afterwards. So yes, there’s criticism, but it’s almost always self-criticism.

What impact do you think your role as an expert has had – both for you and for the public debate?

It's been a pleasure to encounter a deep curiosity about the remarkable diversity of life around us, and not least to see such eagerness to use the council’s and my research-based expertise about how the loss of biodiversity can be reversed. Without a doubt, our expertise has contributed to a more nuanced public debate, and I have the impression that our expertise has been well received and applied in connection with various public-sector and political processes.

Do you check people’s comments on social media after your media appearances?

Once in awhile, someone might call me or send me a comment if I’ve been on TV, but it’s rare. I don’t follow the comment threads on online media and I don’t use X anymore either. On the other hand, LinkedIn works well – the comments are typically well-informed and balanced.

What do you do to get off the media treadmill?

I turn off my phone or forward calls if there’s something that needs to be answered that I can’t attend to. I also have familial obligations that sometimes mean I can’t make it to a studio in Copenhagen, for example. On the one hand, I feel like it’s my duty, but on the other hand it’s not crucial that every call from a journalist needs to be answered by me in particular.

What's your best advice for colleagues who are considering making public media appearances?

My best advice is to ask about the context when a journalist calls and arrange to do a fact and quote check, unless it’s live. When I get the draft, I correct it with tracked changes and let the journalist know they can call me if anything’s unclear.
At the same time, remember to have respect for the conditions the journalist is working under. Deadlines are often short, and you can only correct your own quotes, not the rest of the article.

Finally: Think carefully about why you want to do the interview. If you don’t have a clear reason, you may want to consider spending your time and energy elsewhere.