In the mid-1990’s Fox News was created as an alternative
to the popular liberal media. Murdoch and other creators advertised the new
station as the news source that was “fair and balance”. Setting aside the fact
that Fox is actually completely bias, this slogan raises the question: should
news always be balanced? Your first response to this question is probably “of
course! News should report all the facts and sides of every story.” While this
style of reporting is great for some stories, it actually is very problematic
in science media.
The
issue of balance in science media arises from the fact that no matter how
certain a scientific discovery is, there will always be a small group of
individuals that oppose it. Take global warming for example; even though the
connection between the emissions of green house gases and rising temperatures
has been proven time and time again, there are still a few people that
adamantly deny it. Even though these deniers are usually few and far between,
the balance aspect of news requires that their ideas receive just as much media
coverage as the ideas of the majority. This balance leads to the public taking
sides, when, in reality, there is only one side that science and the majority
of experts support. Therefore hindering the scientific literacy of the public.
As
a science writer myself I am not fully against a balance story, but I do
believe you have to go about it with great tact. We still have the obligation,
just as other reporters, to report all sides of the story. Where our jobs
differ though, is that we have to make sure to address the validity of each
side. We must make it known that even though some people oppose the science,
these people do not have any really ground to stand on. By explaining all sides
of the issue, the readers will be more likely to accept the true science and
also be able to decipher what the true science is in the future, which would
increase our nations scientific literacy.
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