How Journalists Distort Science with Balance

The scientist's job is to discover truth about the natural world, and the journalist's is to report the world's events accurately. Why are these two professions so often at odds? Chris Mooney discusses how journalism fails science in this month's Columbia Journalism Review. If you applauded Jon Stewart's plea to "stop hurting America," Mooney's analysis will strike a chord; the he-said-she-said approach to truth fails in all kinds of venues. (via: WorldChanging)

Comments

Biased reporting or biased science?

[Thunderstruck]

As radical as it may seem, perhaps the journalists studied enough history in College to remember all the times when the general view of accepted science was horribly wrong. We're pretty sure now that the world is neither flat nor at the center of the universe.

Back in the day, scientists couldn't say anything that disagreed with the church because they'd loose their funding, credibility, and probably their lives.

Today, scientists can't say anything that appears to agree with the church, because they'll loose their funding, their credibility and possibly their lives.

Maybe the reporters have it right