For the next few weeks, I'm going to be busier than normal - I'm picking up a few bucks by working for a friend who has a beverage concession at the Houston Rodeo. I'm mentioning this in part because working at the Rodeo has inspired a few thoughts that are relevant to a blog discussion that I've been having with Nature editor Henry Gee. I'll probably have my response to his latest post up sometime after I get home from work. His post focuses on how scientists have been getting scientific information to the public. He focuses on the problems with the media's usual treatment of science, and has some suggestions about things that can be done to fix the problem:
The message is that scientists intent on being journalists should realize that their lofty aim of spreading scientific literacy more widely will be stymied unless they set their goals higher than just writing about it in blogs or in the mainstream media. They must become news editors, too, so that, in good marxian fashion, scientists can take over the means of production.
I'm not entirely sure that our problems are primarily related to the media's treatment of science. I'm less sure that fixing the media's treatment will fix all, or even most, of the problems. I'll have my own thoughts on where I see the problems and solutions a bit later on. In the mean time, I'd be interested in hearing what you think about his perspective on things.
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