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VERSION:2.0
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
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BEGIN:VEVENT
LAST-MODIFIED:20070430T144520
SEQUENCE:0
CONTACT:events@ri.ac.uk
ORGANIZER:Royal Institution
DTEND:20070626T203000
UID:2008-09-07T18:50:28-0400_946391318@socialweb1
DESCRIPTION:From MMR to the formula for the worst day of the year: every da
 y in the media we are bombarded with miracle cures\, hidden threats\, amazi
 ng breakthroughs\, and wacky boffin stories. But is there any evidence behi
 nd them? Often there is none: but we can find patterns in the dirt\, reflec
 ting broader themes. If we are charitable\, the pace of medical development
  has changed since the golden age of medicine\, and the many smaller\, incr
 emental discoveries of modern medicine don't lend themselves so readily to 
 exotic headlines. 
\n
\nBut there are also more sinister forces at work. Bi
 zarre and bad science reporting in the media may well be the product of ign
 orance among journalists\, and the need to sell readers to advertisers. But
  more than that\, these stories are often planted by people with clear pers
 onal and commercial interests\, who exploit the flaws in the media's approa
 ch to science for their own gain.  
\n
\nAnd if the stories weren't so funn
 y\, it would all be very upsetting. 
\n
\n_*Ben Goldacre*_ is an award winn
 ing writer\, broadcaster\, and medical doctor who has written the weekly â€
 ˜Bad Science’ column in the Guardian since 2003. He appears regularly on 
 Radio 4 and TV\, and in addition to the Guardian\, he has written for Time 
 Out\, New Statesman and the British Medical Journal\, winning him numerous 
 awards. His book Bad Science is due to be published in Jan 2008. 
\n
SUMMARY:How the media promotes the public misunderstanding of science
DTSTART:20070626T190000
CREATED:20070430T144123
DTSTAMP:20080907T185028
LOCATION:Friends Meeting House Small Hall 
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