Alumni Profile: Arielle Duhaime-Ross (GSAS ’13)

November 15, 2019

How did you arrive at your specialty of reporting on technology and the environment?

The arc of my career starts and ends with science.

As a child, I had originally planned to be a scientist. To achieve that, I studied zoology in college, back in Canada. But during my undergraduate work, I realized that what I truly enjoyed was communicating science. So I googled “science journalism”—and NYU’s program was the first one that popped up.

I ended up getting a master’s in Science Health and Environmental reporting from NYU’s journalism school.

From there, I took a job as a science reporter at The Verge, a Vox Media website, where I specialized in health technology and science reporting. A few years later, I decided to try out a new challenge, so I took a job as a TV news correspondent for HBO’s VICE News Tonight. At VICE News, I continued to cover science by focusing on climate change and the environment.

Today, I’m the host of a Vox Media technology news podcast called Reset, where I get to combine my love of science and technology in a whole new way.

Can you describe your current project, Reset?

Reset is a tech news podcast by Recode and Vox.com. We publish episodes three times a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. (You can subscribe on Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts).

Our aim is to provide context for what’s going on in the world—both digital and physical. Because when I look at the news right now, it seems like practically every big story has a technology angle to it. So, we’re focusing on that—but we’re doing it through the lens of science and power. Because I think that’s the only way to really think about technology. I love it—so I question it.

How does your background shape your reporting on this podcast?

Being a science reporter helps! There’s a whole lot of science behind the technologies that we use every day. Being able to understand the studies that companies use to back up their claims, means that I don’t come at technology from a “gee-whiz” standpoint. And that makes the reporting on Reset more critical and more informed than what you might hear elsewhere.

What was your experience like at NYU?

It wasn’t hard to pick NYU for my master’s. NYU’s Science, Health, and Environmental Reporting program is well regarded, and NYU offered me a substantial scholarship to attend. In addition, I know that being in New York would make getting an internship in media a lot easier. So frankly, it just made sense.

During my time at NYU, I learned a lot about my craft. I also benefited quite a bit from the contacts that I made there. In fact, I was hired for my first staff reporter job, at The Verge, because I attended a “meet the editors” event at NYU during my final semester. So I owe NYU a lot!

Do you have any advice for NYU alumni who are starting their careers?

Breaking into journalism can be hard. My advice for a journalism graduate would be to keep in touch with classmates, teachers, and the guest speakers who spoke during your classes. Those people may not be able to offer you a job—but they might know someone who can.

What have you been reading or listening to lately?

I read a lot of news, so when I’m not doing that I try to read things that make me more creativity or help me relax. That means I tend to read science fiction or queer fiction. With that in mind, I just finished two books that were fantastic: Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Talents and Gabby Rivera’s Juliet Takes a Breath. I recommend both!

As for what I’m listening to, I’m always on the lookout for new podcasts.

Lately, I’ve been listening to pods like The Fifth Column, Underunderstood, Gender Reveal, Flash Forward (also created by an NYU alumna, Rose Eleveth (GSAS ‘12), Recode Decode, Keep it, and of course Reset’s sister podcast, Today, Explained.