Searching for The Truth in The Digital World: Youth Voices in Science Communication

This session brings together journalists, scientists, and youth voices to discuss how science can stay credible in a digital world shaped by polarization and misinformation. The discussion looks at how platforms and AI affect trust in science, and how young communicators add fresh perspectives to this challenge.

This panel brings together Clive Cookson, senior science writer at the Financial Times, Riyam Ojaimi, a leading voice in digital science communication, and PhD scholar Steipa Bituila from IIT Delhi, alongside young scientists Sophie Kim and Atri Bhattacharjee.

In today’s world, debates about truth happen in fast-moving digital spaces where trust in science is fragile. This panel discusses how scientists, journalists, and young voices can work together to strengthen science communication in a time of polarization and misinformation.

The panel brings together Clive Cookson, Senior Science Writer at the Financial Times, with Riyam Ojaimi, digital science communicator and founder of SpacePoint, alongside youth voices including Steipa Bituila, a PhD scholar at IIT Delhi specializing in climate change mitigation and indigenous knowledge, and young scientists Atri Bhattacharjee and Sophie Kim.

We will ask how digital platforms shape public trust, what role youth can play in science communication, and how these voices connect to global efforts like the UN Pact for the Future and the Sustainable Development Goals. The session is part of the Science Summit at UNGA 80 and looks at how communication can help make science part of solutions for climate, health, and security challenges.