Why the World Needs Better Science Journalism
Sure, knowing whether cows line up with the Earth’s magnetic field will probably not change your life, but climate change and electric vehicles will.
Related… (h/t Manny)
Why the World Needs Better Science Journalism
Sure, knowing whether cows line up with the Earth’s magnetic field will probably not change your life, but climate change and electric vehicles will.
Related… (h/t Manny)
“Science requires a lot of explaining, since…the workings of quantum mechanics cannot be considered general knowledge…”
Lord help us.
“It helps when a journalist knows the difference between an atom and a molecule…Knowledge of the scientific lingo is a must.”
But journalists are our social betters. They know everything…
Widespread use of electric vehicles in America and China will increase toxic pollution from coal fired electric generating plants.
This is at the crux of the anti-science movement. The problem is that inflationary science journalism has infected science itself. Science isn’t the problem, but rather the solution to most if not all of the worlds problems. But if we let those with radical agendas infect science, it has become nothing more than a vessel for those people.
True science should be held on a pedastal above everything else, yes even religion.
Science celebrities and hucksters such and Gore and Suzuki have discredited true science.
Whether the tool used is Jesus, global warming or snail darters, the object remains: Extract the cash from the rubes.
I always move Scientific America magazines to the Children’s section…or Mythology (tooth fairy). They believe that “Science is to important to leave to the Scientists” thus we have the bastards like Gore and SuzuKi playing mental midget games….
Science can go to sleep for 300 years; like during the 8th, 9th, 10th century. Those Muslins sure have a way spreading the pixie dust..
I always move Scientific America magazines to the Children’s section…or Mythology (tooth fairy). They believe that “Science is to important to leave to the Scientists” thus we have the bastards like Gore and SuzuKi playing mental midget games….
Science can go to sleep for 300 years; like during the 8th, 9th, 10th century. Those Muslins sure have a way spreading the pixie dust..
Journalism is dead. This article seeks the specialization of those who, while attending college, refused to take on any form of disciplined study. In essence it skirts the real point that all of today’s so-called journalists need to go back to school as their bafoonications degrees just don’t cut it. They have zero background knowledge on any subject, they confuse critical thinking with political correctness, and they demonstrate a level of ignorance so profound that it would not be unreasonable to suggest that they repeat high-school as well. (The author actually refers to required high-school reading but fails to suggest that “journalists” return there. )
The magnetic cow story is a case in point. Here the article written for “nature” is completely out-shined by the comments. The contrast is so stark that it’s funny. I don’t think the author is aware that he selected an article that makes his point. That’s a double irony.
Things started going off he rails when scientists got a craving to be “stars” — household names. And the media was happy to be of service.
That and the publish or perish trend ….
MM
If he wants to be taken seriously, he needs to refer to himself in the third person.
“it would not be unreasonable to suggest that they repeat high-school as well”.
I’m not sure that would help because some of the deficiencies had their genesis at the local high school. A “dumbing down” of the ciriculum and a teacher’s inability to “fail” anyone is turning public education into a farce.
Why would any person with the intellect to understand science want anything to do with the cockroaches that bring us contemporary journalism?
The most revealing passage of the WSFJ article linked by Kate is the assertion that the skeptical (i.e., what should be the default) position on anthropogenic climate change is being given _too much weight_!
Methinks the canons of “professional” science journalism, in the WSFJ scheme of things, have more to do with indoctrinating would-be science journalists in the politically correct Lysenkoist _trope du jour_ than in actually approaching scientific issues with at least minimal expertise in the actual science involved, not to mention a properly skeptical approach to scientific claims.
Nuyjens writes: “In science stories, balance doesn’t work. Of course, critics of a policy or research need to be heard, but they should get the weight they deserve measured by the number of scientists they represent.”
False, false and false. This hollier-than-though journalist is selling the old canard of the scientific consensus. To quote Michael Crichton, if it’s science, there is no consensus. If there is a consensus, it is not science.
“To quote Michael Crichton, if it’s science, there is no consensus. If there is a consensus, it is not science. ”
Yes yes! Quote of the week. Thank you for this, made my day.
Most people don’t know the difference between a solar system and a galaxy.
Most people (and journalists) don’t know the difference between …
continual and continuous
phenomenon and phenomena
affect and effect
… to mention a few minor points of misunderstanding ….
Not only are we devoid of knowledgeable journalists, but the public has become more ignorant over the past few decades courtesy of teachers unions, political correctness, hand-held electronic communication devices and a general dumbing down of the population with the help of TV. Before anything can be done about better informing the public, we all need to get a better grip on our use of the English language.
I doubt whether better educated and better informed journalists would make much difference anymore. Their readers are mostly a bunch of dumb shits.
Just keep the grant money a flowin.
Science determines truth by the weight of the evidence, not the number of scientists who believe or not. The theory must explain the facts, to the extent that it is able to do that, predictably and reliably it is established and accepted.
Scientific revolutions and many discoveries are met with skepticism. If a hypothesis is contrary to known facts than that must be accounted for.
The junk science people never feel obliged to do that e.i.AGW, to even ask for that is offensive to them. How dare anyone demand that they show their work. It must be taken on “faith”! When you hear that you know you’re dealing with religion not science.
There is a significant amount of human suffering that occurs due to bad reporting on science issues. The outbreak of measles in France and now Quebec is one example. An invalid study/dishonest now “disbarred” scientist articles on vaccinations led to that.
The MSM, especially newspapers, now hire the cheapest least educated reporters they can get away with. Now most MSM TV/Radio CEOs see reporters simply as entertainers.
I, for one, will continue to sleep better at night now that the mystery surrounding why monkeys fling their poo at each other has been solved.
I doubt whether better educated and better informed journalists would make much difference anymore. Their readers are mostly a bunch of dumb shits.
CEOs see reporters simply as entertainers.
The segment of the general population who actually tune into the news in any form have the attention span of a gnat. Information programming is written as entertainment not factual reporting, and it’s designed to keep the audience from changing channels before the next group of commercials.
“To quote Michael Crichton, if it’s science, there is no consensus. If there is a consensus, it is not science.” Good.
A good science journalist if there were such a thing would inculcate skepticism; and maybe not much else.
Good scientists are usually skeptical, in my experience.
One should be able to answer criticisms from an intelligent and well-informed lay person more or less to their satisfaction;
that is, if one actually knows one’s field. I once explained the quantum-mechanical two-slit experiment to the lady who became my wife;
it took two hours, but she married me anyway.
Everyone becomes a lay person when one leaves one’s particular study.
As for damage to science, I think that some excessively dogmatic statements about nutrition have done more damage than AGW; one eats every day.
Whenever I read a journalist’s attempt to write about anything that I know something about, I wonder if that’s how everything is treated. They seem to be unable to understand what is important.
The use of quoting two different sides to give some balance to the piece at least reminds readers that there is some disagreement, that the science may not be settled.
Cows aligning themselves with the magnetic field? Doubtful, I expect they align themselves with the wind direction like many animals. Sea turtles migrate long distances, cows do not, possibly their remote ancestors migrated like buffalo, but they probably didn’t need magnetic sensors to know which way to go when it snowed.
science and new research can help prevent sickness and keep body healthy
website:
and
watch Mr. Wylde on health on cp24 channle
in Toronto to how to choose healthy diets
used red apple and cinnomon (such as add with your tea or in your food )and reduce bread daily in taking or any carboydrate and excercise to reduce diabeties take vegtable and green like brocoli and take real lemon
take toxic and any poision out of our body and take care of your kidney
control hormone change in body for any reasons
take care of how toxic goes out of your body
by know your body and how your body react with food intake
focus to education of some body part and link to above subjects such as:
liver, Heparin, hepatic, hepatitis, portal vein
,yellow bile and
goiter hormone and other hormone controls
to reverse diabites or control diabeies
control oxygen intake therapy center such as:
416-789-4268
—
you can do some search google for following topic to educated yourself
such as:
hormonal control of digestion
hormal control for toxic body removal
use natural food receipe
health stores
health store herbal diet
mental health food links and concentration
Dystopian Optimist wrote: “Extract the cash from the rubes.”
You’re right, and the rubes have been played WELL.