Gary Schwitzer is Publisher and Founder of HealthNewsReview.org. He tweets as @garyschwitzer
Marya Zilberberg posted, “Fast science: No time for uncertainty.” Excerpt:
“…my anxiety about how we do clinical science overall is not new; this blog is overrun with it. However, the new branch of that anxiety relates to something I have termed “fast science.” Like fast food it fills us up, but the calories are at best empty and at worst detrimental. What I mean is that science is a process more than it is a result, and this process cannot and should not be microwaved….
So, let’s celebrate uncertainty. Let’s take time to question, answer and question again. Slow down, take a deep breath, cook a slow meal and think.”
That’s similar to how I ended my talk at the University of Wisconsin’s event, “Science Writing in the Age of Denial” this week. I said that:
“Journalists could help people grasp uncertainty and help them apply critical thinking to health care decision-making issues…rather than promote false certainty, shibboleths and non-evidence-based, cheerleading advocacy.”
Gary Schwitzer at Science Writing in the Age of Denial, April 23, 2012 from University of Wisconsin-Madison on Vimeo.
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Following a shift in journalism’s business model, a diverse ecosystem of publications, many covering science, has sprung up online. This has made it more difficult to sort out what qualifies as journalism, what doesn’t, and whether the public even cares.
https://t.co/qO2a27FiSe
Researchers and journalists do the public a grave disservice when they spin health study results to make them appear safer or more effective than warranted, says @HealthNewsRevu founder @garyschwitzer https://t.co/QIKsRbP6Ed
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