tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19244551.post1004689103641290302..comments2023-08-03T07:28:20.740-05:00Comments on Adaptive Complexity: Bad Science Journalism: The Myth of the Oppressed UnderdogAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00474549004146223010noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19244551.post-12004081263348540012008-03-17T10:09:00.000-05:002008-03-17T10:09:00.000-05:00I was pretty specific in the post about what the p...I was pretty specific in the post about what the problems were: some science journalists are too quick to portray consensus science as mindlessly accepted dogma (witness the "sexual selection is still stuck in the 19th century" line in the piece I'm critiquing), and they also misrepresent the role of skepticism in science (in this particular piece, the author wrote that scientists were skeptical Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00474549004146223010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19244551.post-59847519829297620032008-03-17T07:41:00.000-05:002008-03-17T07:41:00.000-05:00The "underdog" narrative is by no means exclusive ...The "underdog" narrative is by no means exclusive to the reporting of science. It is a favourite trope in stories about politics, social policy, even sports. <BR/><BR/>I'm an epidemiologist, one that <A HREF="http://www.wisdomofwhores.com/2008/03/15/morality-and-science-are-they-incompatible/" REL="nofollow">cares passionately</A> about the public communication of science. But in the dim and Elizabeth Pisanihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15708622588741444679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19244551.post-60390621830814247872008-03-12T15:59:00.000-05:002008-03-12T15:59:00.000-05:00Nice post. It dovetails nicely with another probl...Nice post. It dovetails nicely with another problem I see all too often with science journalism: the balance bias. Two sides are put on equal and opposite footing when in reality one side has few supporters and poor evidence, but it's impossible to get that impression from the article.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19244551.post-32002748886780516292008-03-10T23:08:00.000-05:002008-03-10T23:08:00.000-05:00Well, Ryan, being the pround Canuck he is, would p...Well, Ryan, being the pround Canuck he is, would probably ignore their calls and pretend they never contacted him!Chris Harrisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11383092030160768244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19244551.post-12436541223028490852008-03-10T21:27:00.000-05:002008-03-10T21:27:00.000-05:00I'm glad to know that the The Canadian is on top o...I'm glad to know that the <I>The Canadian</I> is on top of the junk DNA = alien DNA angle. I'm surprised they didn't interview Ryan Gregory for the piece!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00474549004146223010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19244551.post-56571018209880802252008-03-10T19:47:00.000-05:002008-03-10T19:47:00.000-05:00Finally a great piece of science journalism!http:/...Finally a great piece of science journalism!<BR/><BR/>http://www.agoracosmopolitan.com/home/Frontpage/2007/01/08/01288.html<BR/><BR/>/sarcasmChris Harrisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11383092030160768244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19244551.post-281686890264892412008-03-10T09:42:00.000-05:002008-03-10T09:42:00.000-05:00Hairsplitting? Exactly how? I pointed out some pre...Hairsplitting? Exactly how? I pointed out some pretty ridiculous claims in the piece, like the following:<BR/><BR/>"Despite Roughgarden's long list of peer-reviewed articles in prestigious journals, most evolutionary biologists remain skeptical of her conclusions... In the absence of something conclusive, most scientists stick with Darwin and Dawkins."<BR/><BR/>The problem is that general Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00474549004146223010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19244551.post-43471275311335657152008-03-10T01:13:00.000-05:002008-03-10T01:13:00.000-05:00Mike, this is hairsplitting.You may as well rail a...Mike, this is hairsplitting.<BR/><BR/>You may as well rail against the lack of formal rigor that one finds in middle-school math texts. Showing some kind of conflict is one way to write effectively for a general audience. One should hope that when reading about scientists having these sort of disagreements, the audience is sufficiently aware of the scientific method so as to understand how these Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19244551.post-39670316605075140732008-03-10T00:07:00.000-05:002008-03-10T00:07:00.000-05:00If you'd like to read some good science journalism...If you'd like to read some good science journalism, try: <BR/><BR/>http://www.personal.psu.edu/sfw3/sits/PSUAgMag_BeeStory.pdf<BR/><BR/>The only controversy here is a fascinating and important scientific problem, and some very talented but frustrated people trying to come to grips with it.RickRussellTXhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15423216179713921320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19244551.post-12731855107017581412008-03-07T23:56:00.000-06:002008-03-07T23:56:00.000-06:00This myth is spread incredibly far and wide. Tryin...This myth is spread incredibly far and wide. Trying to explain an accepted theory to a layman who's intent on some fringe hypothesis usually ends up with them braying about "orthodoxy", "oppression" or "expulsion*". It's very frustrating, because "orthodoxy" in science is generally orthodoxy for good reasons. <BR/><BR/>Great post Mike!<BR/><BR/>* The IDers new catch phrase.Chris Harrisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11383092030160768244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19244551.post-64346809750844607652008-03-07T09:05:00.000-06:002008-03-07T09:05:00.000-06:00Thanks. I don't know if Canadian or European pape...Thanks. I don't know if Canadian or European papers show the same affection for these narratives, but they sure seem to crop up a lot in US publications.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00474549004146223010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19244551.post-79566816560264352722008-03-07T06:15:00.000-06:002008-03-07T06:15:00.000-06:00Superb.Superb.T Ryan Gregoryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17028390880937952573noreply@blogger.com