Re: [ECOLOG-L] Disseminating scientific thought to the general public: are scientists making science readily accessible?

I have had enough dealings with the media (plus an undergraduate class in journalism) to know that it is inappropriate for an interviewee to review and approve a story before it is published or aired and to make this a condition of the interview. That's interfering with journalistic freedom.

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Re: [ECOLOG-L] Disseminating scientific thought to the general public: are scientists making science readily accessible?

Why should scientists be trusted any more than a government or business spokesperson not to spin a story the way you like it? Sorry, but scientists have agendas, too. A lot of sorry journalism has been committed by journalists who acted as cheerleaders or lapdogs for influential scientists.

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Re: [ECOLOG-L] Disseminating scientific thought to the general public: are scientists making science readily accessible?

It seems to me that some contributors to this thread are being naive about how journalism and news coverage influence public opinion. There seems to be a consensus that people, in general, make up their minds about things based on logic, understanding of facts, and reliable sources. This

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Disseminating scientific thought to the general public: are scientists making science readily accessible?

Dave --- are you inentionally trying to obfuscate this issue? Your refusal to distinguish between checking for accuracy and approving a story suggests that your journalistic experience may not be all you make it out to be. This has nothing to do with casting aside independence for accuracy,

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Re: [ECOLOG-L] Disseminating scientific thought to the general public: are scientists making science readily accessible?

Technically, academic scientists have a specific responsibility to work for the greater good. Therefore, their 'agenda' should be for the greater good. However, in my experience you are correct that many DO NOT work for the greater good of society and the planet, but rather for their own

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Disseminating scientific thought to the general public: are scientists making science readily accessible?

I'm not obfuscating anything. I'm telling you how most of my journalistic colleagues feel, Mr. Caswell. Having grown up in the news business; having been a practitioner in it for much of the past 30 years; having a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University; having two published

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Re: [ECOLOG-L] Disseminating scientific thought to the general public: are scientists making science readily accessible?

I picked up on this in my passive following of this thread, so please excuse me if I'm restating something that someone else has said. *Why should scientists be trusted any more than a government or business spokesperson not to spin a story the way you like it? Sorry, but scientists have agendas,

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Disseminating scientific thought to the general public: are scientists making science readily accessible?

David, I am sure you are an ethical as well as a reputable journalist. Surely a journalist and a source can work effectively together to make sure that a story is accurate. If not, then one or both have hangups that go beyond normal concerns. Scientists don't publish without others reviewing

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Re: [ECOLOG-L] Disseminating scientific thought to the general public: are scientists making science readily accessible?

I don't see the problem with allowing a interviewee to read your article to ensure the quotes are accurate. In fact, it seems kind of irresponsible as a journalist not to do this. Why would you not want to make sure? I am mystified. In fact, about 10 years ago I was quoted in the St. Louis Post

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Re: [ECOLOG-L] Disseminating scientific thought to the general public: are scientists making science readily accessible?

I think that is pretty far from the idea under discussion. The issue, and certainly the one that motivated my original posting, is that much of the obfuscation carried out by scientists is a defense against exploitation by journalists, politicians and others (including often NGOs) who are

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Disseminating scientific thought to the general public: are scientists making science readily accessible?

Honorable Forum: 'Tis friction's brisk rub that provides the vital spark. --Alexander Reid Martin But what we have here is a failure to communicate. --Strother Martin's character in the movie, Cool Hand Luke. Failure to communicate about communicating? Pretty embarrassing. And let me make

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Disseminating scientific thought to the general public: are scientists making science readily accessible?

Dear Dr. Lawrence, I have to agree with Hal Caswell comments -- obviously this is a hot button issue for you and your interpretation of many of the posts, as quoted below is quite different from my own. The idea being discussed is that journalists should screen their stories with scientists prior

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Disseminating scientific thought to the general public: are scientists making science readily accessible?

I heard recently that there may be some legal precedent that by showing sources a story you can open yourself up to lawsuits. I don't recall the details but it was, I believe, based on an actual case. Do any of the other journalists here know what that is? Regardless, there are other ways to

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Disseminating scientific thought to the general public: are scientists making science readily accessible?

This is such a fascinating discussion - my twin passions, science and journalism! Dave M, I think that the key here is there are different kinds of writers. There are strict journalists or reporters who are trained to just report - and that is where the whole he said, she said journalism

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Disseminating scientific thought to the general public: are scientists making science readily accessible?

Hi Malcolm, there are a number of reasons why many publications do not allow writers to share articles with sources before they are published. This is not a comprehensive list but here are some of the considerations: 1) There might not be time to review the article with a source,

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Re: [ECOLOG-L] Disseminating scientific thought to the general public: are scientists making science readily accessible?

Gary, I agree that there is no excuse for not delivering on promises. Whenever I promise to verify quotes, I always do so, even though this can be tricky if there is a time lapse between the interview and the final edit. I don't know of any media organizations that prohibit, or even

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Disseminating scientific thought to the general public: are scientists making science readily accessible?

Why should scientists be trusted any more than a government or business spokesperson not to spin a story the way you like it? Yes, just look at the sensationalized stories the universities themselves put out. Three real life examples: 1) Popular weed killer demasculinizes frogs, disrupts

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Re: [ECOLOG-L] Disseminating scientific thought to the general public: are scientists making science readily accessible?

I am getting tired of having to repeatedly repeat myself, so let's do this by numbers. 1) The original suggestion was to allow experts to review ENTIRE stories. 2) Most journalists -- not just me -- find that suggestion anathema, unethical, and legally unwise. 3) Most reputable journalists --

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Disseminating scientific thought to the general public: are scientists making science readily accessible?

Malcolm, there is a big difference between checking quotes and allowing a source to see the full story beforehand. What has been proposed is allowing scientists to see the WHOLE story, not just the QUOTES from that source. None of my journalistic colleagues have a problem with running a

Re: [ECOLOG-L] What´s the difference between Ecolog y and Natural H istory?

Rachel: In my opinion, Ecology and Natural History are not mutually exclusive, nor are they synonyms. Rather, they overlap in content, and it may be fair to characterize ecology as a subset of natural history. In other words, all ecology can be thought of as natural history but not vice versa.

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Disseminating scientific thought to the general public: are scientists making science readily accessible?

mcnee...@cox.net wrote: Exactly how are these stories sensational. Is there anything in them that is not factual? Tyrone Hayes work with atrazine and frog development is given substantial credence by knowledgeable folks in the field. The UC Berkeley story said sensationally: its [atrazine

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Re: [ECOLOG-L] Disseminating scientific thought to the general public: are scientists making science readily accessible?

Exactly how are these stories sensational. Is there anything in them that is not factual? I realize that more recent work on corn pollen and monarchs has led to different understandings. However, how is the report here sensationalized? I am particularly puzzled by your giving the Cal Poly

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Disseminating scientific thought to the general public: are scientists making science readily accessible?

I can't speak for the other studies, but I can speak on the Atrazine issue. Atrazine is an estrogen mimic. It imitates estrogen when it enters organisms. Numerous studies were published, not just by Hayes, but also others. I don't see anything sensational about his claims. In fact, you might want