One of the biggest examples of the wildfire spread of bad science is the statement that vaccines cause autism in healthy children. There was one paper produced in 1998 that described a connection in a small study children. When repeated in studies that included one with 14,000,000 children, no connection was found. And yet, in the quest to find the cause for autism, a disorder we still do not fully understand, the media latched on to this one case of bad science. As a result, currently 1 in 4 parents believe vaccines cause autism and we are seeing the effects, such as a rise in cases of diseases previously thought eradicated and unnecessary deaths of children and those with compromised immune systems.There is also a lot of unnecessary drama regarding thimerosal which is an antimicrobial preservative that is no longer in vaccines due to general outcry. Thimerosal contains an atom of mercury (Hg) in its atomic structure. Mercury is very toxic on its own, but when bonded to other atoms, it creates a nontoxic molecule. Sodium (Na) and Chlorine (Cl) are also poisonous on their own and when we ingest them, it can make us sick. Yet common table salt is just an atom of sodium and an atom of chlorine together to make a harmless ionic compound and common food additive. I will not bore all you with the other facts but see this link for a good infographic describing the myths surrounding vaccinations and this link from the CDC that explains thimerosal and why the fear is so unwarranted.
An example of fear mongering in the media by skewing information was the general hysteria over the ebola outbreak. General fear over the Ebola outbreak led to it becoming a bigger deal than it ever turned out to be. At a doctors appointment in Frederick this year, I saw on a newspaper a giant headline reading "EBOLA IN FREDERICK" in regards to the one American nurse who became infected with Ebola landing at Frederick municipal airport on her way to Bethesda to get treated. I can only imagine the panic it may have caused for some people, especially if they were ignorant to how ebola is spread (direct contact with fluids from an infected individual).
The media wants sensational stories that will get viewers and readers. This often comes at a cost. Besides discrediting the science community, they spread fear to people without science backgrounds who are not equipped with the tools to even decide for themselves if what they are hearing is true. There are countless other examples of people not believing in scientific findings (climate change, evolution, etc.) and you can choose to not believe them when presented with the evidence. But the media does not present all information or presents it in a biased way that does allow the common viewer to form their own opinions. This needs to stop. I think the only way it will is if news stations/sources agree that they should start doing the honorable thing and stop spreading misinformation. More news stations should get in the practice of consulting those with scientific backgrounds that can explain findings to the public in a way they will understand that is also accurate to the findings. This practice of fear mongering only leads to continued distrust of the scientific community and can inhibit future progress.
I leave you with this one statement: always examine any media report on a scientific study. Lucky for you all, I love infographics, so have one more outlining how to identify bad science. Bad science and skewed reports are on the rise. However, we can all work towards a more scientifically aware, and better, world.
And get your shots.
Nice infographic! I remember that Ebola headline - definitely a case of sensationalism. Is it getting worse now that there is so much "news" media that has less oversight, or was it equally a problem when we had 3 news networks and a local paper to contend with?
ReplyDeleteI think you're definitely spot on when it comes to the media's hunger for sensationalism. It's so sad that so many people rely on these stories for information on the outside world. Sometimes, I wonder if the solution would be to restrict the media to publish raw facts and data. Certainly, it would make our lives much more boring, but a lot less bias I would think.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to take a deep breath before responding as a communications major with the intent to go into a journalism career. I agree that the media does sensationalize things and it is terrible. Many journalists are losing the concept of what journalism is, but I think this next upcoming generation of journalists will change that because we see the dangers that it creates. Journalism exists to inform the general public about important information in an unbiased and unsensational way. The issue is that mediums like newspaper and even television news are suffering. Many people want to find mediums that agree with what they think. Nobody wants to read a newspaper about the recent election when they could easily read a blog that merely backs their political party and the person they favor for the presidency. Something needs to be done to make people crave news and not just bias that makes them feel better about themselves. The fault definitely falls on both parties. Journalism needs to get back to its original purpose of being an unbiased source and nothing more, and people need to get back to reading for information and not for the satisfaction of feeling right or feeling backed up by gossip and speculation. The vaccination uproar had me upset as well. The information release should be left to the people with the information. As an English and Communications major, why should I be approached to divulge spot on chemistry information? Maybe I have some insight, but I am clearly not an expert compared to someone else in the field who is passionate about studying it. People need to go to the source for valuable information and stop giving journalists something to sensationalize.
ReplyDeleteBelieve it or not, I was also considering going into (science) journalism and was attempting a journalism minor, but my major was requiring too many credits I could not fit it in. I definitely think a lot of young people that are now getting into journalism will be instrumental in changing it, because as you said, they recognize the damage being done. I also do recognize that sensationalism, while not new of course, does seem to be getting worse as news sources start struggling. I also agree with your statement that both parties are equally guilty. As consumers, we need to demand news without bias and news sources need to provide it.
DeleteI'm absolutely LIVID about how many people just believe any headline they see, regardless of source, and spread the word over Facebook like a plague. The only upside to that is that it becomes very easy to see a string of agreeable, stupid moms supporting the garbage science, and therefore unfriend them all in one fell swoop. The number of people I know that didn't realize The Colbert Report was satire or that The Onion is not a valid source of news absolutely blows my mind.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of which, this Onion article perfectly touches on your subject in a hilarious way:
http://www.theonion.com/articles/i-dont-vaccinate-my-child-because-its-my-right-to,37839/
(if there's a way to link that within the text the way we do with the original blog posts, I'd love to know, but I can't seem to find it in the comments formatting).
I have seen that Onion article, but thank you for reminding me it exists! It's definitely good for a laugh.
DeleteI think that you raised a point that is rarely thought about by many in today's society as a problem. I completely agree that the sensationalism created by the media regarding issues like the ones mentioned above is a huge problem and is ridiculous. I think that while the media should be more responsible about what they say and publish, people in today's society should take responsibility for what they believe and they should look into the validity of the statements that they are exposed to. I think that a problem just as big as the sensationalism created by the media is that people will believe anything and everything that they see and hear. I think that if both the media and the general public worked to fix the problems that we have discussed here, we would not only live in a better place, but people would be more educated and would be able to interact with each other in a very different way. I believe that if both the media and the general public took the time to present and look up the actual facts on a subject, we would be a much more sophisticated society and country.
ReplyDelete