“Pandemic!!!” [an eerily prescient 2019 “Science VS” podcast from Gimlet Media/Spotify] is an example of speculative journalism. The term isn’t strictly defined, but it’s often used to describe works of journalism about imagined futures, pieces where science fiction is entwined with facts and even original reporting to elucidate likely, or at least possible, future realities. Independent journalists and legacy news organizations alike find value in the form. Examples can be found in independent magazines like High Country News or on podcasts, such as “Bellwether” and “Flash Forward,” as well as in The New York Times, with its “Op-Eds from the Future” series.
Read the full piece at Nieman Reports
