Who is pushing misinformation online, what are they trying to achieve and how can we stop it without censoring free speech?

Excess deaths, vaccine harms and lockdowns: how should experts communicate about these complex, politically explosive issues? Michael Blastland quizzes statistical duo David Spiegelhalter and Anthony Masters on what they’ve learnt while writing a weekly column for the Observer. They explore the importance of context and comparison, the trustworthiness of sharing uncertainty and the power of a good analogy. The graphic discussed in the episode - which compares the potential harms and benefits...

Politicians and civil servants are hungry for data to help design effective policy. How do we best collect and communicate this evidence - to support good governance and public accountability?  Joining David to explore interactive dashboards, misinformation and what’s not in the data are:  Professor John Aston - former chief scientific adviser to the Home Office, now Harding Professor of Statistics in Public Life Dr Laura Gilbert - Chief Data Analyst at No. 10 Downing St Professor Diane...

Statistics needs care and context - but journalists are under pressure to craft engaging stories. Is there a way of doing both? the Guardian's data editor Caelainn Barr, science writer Tom Chivers and National Numeracy’s Paul Milner join David to explore how you turn data into clear and compelling copy.

Communicating about vaccines has never been higher stakes. How do we do it well? Joining David to explore the importance of scientific rigour, listening and building relationships are: Professor Heidi Larson - Director of the Vaccine Confidence Project and the author of Stuck: How Vaccine Rumours Start — and Why They Don’t Go Away. Professor Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group and creator of the Vaccine Knowledge Project. *** Views to share? Get in touch on Twitter...

How can we help manage and reduce the impact of frightening events - like chemical spills, food scares and pandemics - with good communication, even while evidence is scant and uncertainty predominates? Joining David to share their experience from the frontlines are Professor Brooke Rogers OBE - government adviser working on national security and coronavirus measures - and Professor Lord John Krebs - former head of the Food Standards Agency.

How can governments, scientists and the media craft clear messages with complex and uncertain evidence? Victoria Macdonald (C4 News), Tracey Brown (Sense About Science) and Christina Pagel (Independent Sage) navigate the principles and pitfalls of communicating evidence in a pandemic.

Leading climate scientist Dr Tamsin Edwards joins David to explore uncertainty in different aspects of her life: as a statistician and mathematical modeller, as a communicator about possible climate futures, but also as a cancer patient faced with life-changing treatment choices.

The unfolding coronavirus pandemic is a story driven by numbers. But how reliable are they? What can the data really tell us – and what are the major areas of uncertainty? Professor David Spiegelhalter and Michael Blastland investigate.

How can we communicate about climate change in the most engaging, informative and even persuasive ways? What are the different audiences we need to reach, and how can we craft effective communications for each of them? Anthony Leiserowitz, Emily Shuckburgh and Sander van der Linden guide us through the psychology, politics and science of climate change communication.

Stats about crime, immigration, unemployment and political polls fuel political debate and drive headlines. But how are these ‘soft’ numbers really calculated? How uncertain should we be about them? And how can they be reported honestly and usefully - without losing trust? Robert Cuffe, Ed Humpherson and Sarah Dryhurst help us to make sense of the stats and how best to communicate them.

Personal genetic risk information is set to be become part of everyday healthcare. But is some unhelpful, even dangerous? What psychological impact does it have on patients? And do doctors know enough about genetics to effectively guide patients and inform treatment decisions? Robert Green, Gemma Chandratillake and Saskia Sanderson discuss what genetic risks should be communicated and how.

Get a flavour of our new podcast launching March 2020.