S. Robert Lichter at STATS.org looked at two academic studies on the impact of fracking -- one the media embraced that asserted fracking could worsen greenhouse emissions, and another the media mostly ignored that drew the opposite conclusion. He notes that "journalists who alert the public to dangers in their midst win awards; journalists who debunk overhyped scares do not."
... the media's treatment of scientific studies should be treated as a kind of rolling health scare, a structural imbalance based on a selection bias that is unlikely to change anytime soon. So what are news consumers to do in the short run? Just remember, the most deceptive lead in science journalism is, "A new study shows''
1 comments:
"A new study shows" and "a new discovery" are pretty much warning signs. Take the article with a grain of salt.
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