I am often frustrated by how poorly science is represented in the news media. I’m equally frustrated by the credulity with which our news media presents pseudoscience and fantasy, as if things like “Bigfoot” and the “Loch Ness monster” are things to be taken seriously.
MSNBC’s website (in conjunction with Livescience.com) have a fine example up today
From the entry on ‘Bigfoot’:
Since it is logically impossible to prove a universal negative, science will never be able to prove that creatures like Bigfoot and the Loch Ness monster do not exist
What complete garbage. I can’t imagine how this could get by an editor in a major news outlet like MSNBC.
They are actually ‘creating’ what’s the public image of science instead of real science, and sometimes ‘improving’ it so as to allure more public concerns and boost the ad income.
It’s all about buzz words nowadays.
Just take a look at the latest Nivea facial cream: DNAage.
It’s got DNA stamped all over the place. People probably think they are spreading “new” and “better” DNA into their skin… and getting younger!
Pseudoscience in advertising is a problem, just not as big a problem (I think) as it is when our media reports with complete credulity or tries to “balance” issues.