I did my latest Science Progress column about last weekend's World Science Festival in New York, which I unfortunately could not attend, but which sounds like it was awesome. In my column, I simply had to rate the festival a success based upon how much of a splash it made, including in non-science media--places like the Colbert Report and ABC's Good Morning America.
Still, I think this coverage itself shows the dilemma of science today. For instance, although Good Morning America was very positive on the World Science Festival, something really struck me about how they summarized its purpose: "Organizers hope to shift science from the chalk-dusted fringes into America's cultural center."
That ABC puts it in this way powerfully demonstrates just how far we still have to go.
With any luck, mainstream media outlets like ABC will increasingly be pushed into the dusty-brained fringes of culture of the upcoming generation.