B
buffalo
Guest
World view: Calling science to accountYes, I am a Catholic. As for this discussion, sometimes I wonder if I have merely taken “too many” science classes. I used to be an adherent of Old Earth Creationism but then rejected intelligent design and accepted evolution in its entirely after having taken a few courses in biology and geology(I am still in college).
As you read this I will be in San Diego for the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). For policy wonks like me, it’s an unmissable event. ***It is also a prime example of what is wrong with science’s relationship with the mass media. ***
Like sausages being made, or legislation being passed, the process that turns scientific developments into headlines and into radio and television reports isn’t pretty to observe. Nor is it optimal.
One of the main jobs of the AAAS meeting is to parcel up original research that has already been published, and often publicized, into digestible chunks. These then reappear as news stories in papers and broadcasts around the world, turbocharged by quotes from the scientific luminaries attending the meeting. This at least marks a change in tempo from the weekly routine, which converts original scientific findings, via a production line of embargoed press releases from journals and universities, into a steady stream of largely uncritical stories. (The mainstay of this process is the embargo system, whereby reporters and editors desist from reporting on findings until a fixed embargo time — and then do so all at once.)
more…