I would take Vivek's line to indicate not "ignorance" but humility, or, possibly, a slightly sarcastic jab at what he may perceive as arrogance from his critics

I would take Vivek's line to indicate not "ignorance" but humility, or, possibly, a slightly sarcastic jab at what he may perceive as arrogance from his critics. There's also a difference between complete ignorance, and the ability to perfectly frame a field's possible impact in language that the general public can understand. Considering that he is unlikely to be so humbled by this experience to immediately change careers, the wish to improve journalism may be best channeled not at trying to take this guy down, but to actually acquiesce and simply provide him that summary he is asking for. I, for one, would be interested.