Helmuth began her writing career as a staff reporter and editor for Science magazine, from 1999 to 2004.[7] She then became a Science Editor at Smithsonian Magazine, where she remained from 2004 to 2012 before becoming the Science and Health editor at the online magazine Slate.[8][9] On April 28, 2016, Helmuth was appointed The Washington Post's editor of Health, Science and Environment,[10] where she initiated a Post series called "Medical Mysteries."[11]
Helmuth has written about and lectured on combatting "misinformation through science journalism." She has stated that, in science journalism, it has started to be recognized that "there are not always two sides to every story." She offered the example of evolution, in relation to which she said, "we don’t quote creationists,” while she added that “with climate change, you can disagree about what to do about [it], but the science of it is completely, comprehensively proven.”[11] While at the Washington Post, she oversaw the development of a video series called "The Vaccine Project," written by Anna Rothschild and Brian Monroe, to address vaccine hesitancy.
After the coronovirus pandemic broke, Hellmuth developed, in 2020, a tip sheet for journalists covering the pandemic, noting that "repetition makes misinformation feel more true."[12][13]
Presidential endorsement
In September 2020, Scientific American announced its endorsement of vice presidentJoe Biden in the 2020 presidential election,[14] breaking, as the media noted, a 175-year tradition of never having endorsed a presidential candidate.[15][16][17][18][19] Interviewed by NPR, Helmuth stated that the editorial decision was "both unanimous and quick." She added that the magazine needs "to tell what we know about the consequences the Trump administration has had for science, health, the environment, for using evidence, for really understanding and accepting reality," and to "show that this time the choice is just so important for science."[18]
In 2023 she received the Friend of Darwin award from the National Center for Science Education (NCSE) according to the executive director Ann Reid for having “tirelessly promoted the cause of evolution education”.[27]
Notes
^Online version is titled "Celebrating Scientific American’s 175th anniversary".