Science Journalism

 Sometime in the early-to-mid twentieth century there existed a Movie Studio named 20th Century Fox. It produced many hit movies. Some fifty years later, a billionaire bought the corporation and turned it into what many see as a folksy and all too chummy media conglomerate known as Fox News, Sports, and etc, etc, etc.  It has a lot of appeal. The anchors appear approachable and rather polished. They seem so approachable that some would believe they could double as family members. That last sentence is the crux of the problem. These individuals really shouldn’t interject their ‘so-called personal opinions’ into public narrative. Most would not want to be anyone else's family. I sound cruel but it is the truth. While most people are genuinely good (and don't get me wrong, many of the anchors and employees at Fox are good people). However, there is a corporate agenda that seems to cater to those in power -- especially the conservatives.  It is unprofessional and people (good...

I was listening to the Bald Scientist Podcast  and I was struck with a virtual epiphany moment. Professor Pagan is a researcher and instructor at West Chester University in Pennsylvania, USA. He was interviewing a notable science communicator from Mumbai, India. The science journalist, Ms. Clarinda Cerejo, spoke passionately on the subject of bias in the media. The corrected terminology that she used was -- filter bubble . [A filter bubble is defined as that virtual space that people inadvertently fall into as they rely on ONE SOURCE or a FALSE SOURCE for their working knowledge -- it could be everyday knowledge of the world or specialized knowledge. Their views of the world become filtered by false information.] Ms. Cerejo is a trailblazer in the field of science journalism. She led the listeners on a tour de force explanation on how to escape toxic science. It begins with understanding toxic science is information that masquerades as the truth. It needs to be called out as a...