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Locut0s

(6,154 posts)
Fri Mar 15, 2013, 03:10 AM Mar 2013

The big news outlets need to start covering science stories properly or stop covering them at all!

I like reading science articles and news of new discoveries and breakthroughs. I frequent phys.org and other such sites, subscribe to Scientific American and the like, occasionally read a paper if it's not too impenetrable. I'm not a scientist by any means, though I wanted to be one, just a somewhat well educated fan.

The way the big news outlets covers science has always bothered me but I really find myself tearing my hair out when I see several horrible stories in a row.

I'm certainly not expecting them to read the abstracts from papers or anything. I totally get that their audience is the average person and they need to approach things from that perspective. But for fucks' sake please at least get (1) your facts straight and (2) the tone of the article straight.

Why is it not acceptable to report on, say, the stock market and say "well it appears the Dow Jones has dropped 300 points and experts tell me that means that you are likely to be starving tomorrow". But similar such nonsense and hyperbole are par for the course for science stories. They discovered water might have flowed on mars,

LIFE DISCOVERED ON MARS

a new particle has been discovered that seems to be the elusive higgs boson that scientists have been theorizing about:

SCIENTISTS DISCOVER PROOF OF GOD AND THE MEANING OF LIFE

a single child may possibly have been cured of HIV through novel and heroic methods:

AIDS CURED!

I know that sensationalism IS par for the course for big news outlets but usually they are still somewhat constrained to facts. When it comes to news stories I have a sneaking suspicion that they tell reporters to actually act much dumber than they really are, "you know so joe blow at home doesn't feel we are talking down to them". Some of the questions I've heard reporters ask on these stories, I wonder how they keep a straight face.

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The big news outlets need to start covering science stories properly or stop covering them at all! (Original Post) Locut0s Mar 2013 OP
Nuclear Radiation is safe! RobertEarl Mar 2013 #1
In fairness to the presstitutes RobertEarl Mar 2013 #2
But they could avoid the hyperbole. drm604 Mar 2013 #3
Some scientists would sell their mothers RobertEarl Mar 2013 #4
 

RobertEarl

(13,685 posts)
1. Nuclear Radiation is safe!
Fri Mar 15, 2013, 03:17 AM
Mar 2013

Environmentalist stopped progress

Global warming science is not yet established

Only 24 people died at Chernobyl

Iraq has WMD

Bush was elected twice

*******************

Yeah, the presstitutes have a long way to go to pull themselves up from the skanky hole in which they reside and tell the simple truths.

 

RobertEarl

(13,685 posts)
2. In fairness to the presstitutes
Fri Mar 15, 2013, 03:24 AM
Mar 2013

They do have to churn out a lot of words every day, and under a deadline. Do they really have time and the luxury to dig into every subject and uncover exactly what the sci-osstitutes are telling them?

drm604

(16,230 posts)
3. But they could avoid the hyperbole.
Fri Mar 15, 2013, 03:34 AM
Mar 2013

It should be possible not to reach unwarranted conclusions without having to have a science degree and time to read all of the journals.

And what exactly is a "sci-osstitute". Are you saying scientists are like prostitutes?

 

RobertEarl

(13,685 posts)
4. Some scientists would sell their mothers
Fri Mar 15, 2013, 03:40 AM
Mar 2013

Some.

So here's an English major sitting there and some mother seller comes along with a piled high degree and seduces the writer into believing they are god. Yeah, it's a problem.

So damn easy to just bend over and repeat what 'god' says.

As for headlines, that's the mother selling editor's fault, usually.

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