Ben Goldacre's latest Guardian column Bad Science has a nice look at how journalists fail to correctly interpret scientific studies, in particular looking at a recent flap over the (lack of a) link found between autism and vaccines. His concluding advice to science journalists and presumably the rest of us:
...if you don't get it then you have only two choices: you can either learn to interpret data yourself and come to your own informed conclusions; or you decide who to trust. Choose wisely.
(By way of Mind Hacks.)
Posted by bug to Science at November 3, 2005 4:58 PM | TrackBackScience as a technique rocks. "Science" as a magic word used invoked to create reverence and an aura of authority is a real problem.
Posted by: Rebar at November 4, 2005 6:11 AMYup. You could even simplify and say "magic words used to create reverence and an aura of authority is a real problem."
Posted by: Bug at November 4, 2005 11:48 AM