So it's basically:
Research and its reporting are also social acts, especially when you believe that you have something to say that is important enough to cause readers to change their lives by changing what and how they think.
not:
they require you to think steadily about how your work relates to your readers... especially when you believe that you have something to say that is important enough to cause readers to change their lives by changing what and how they think.
? Is that how you see it, MM?