Comments on: Junk Science Mar 09 http://www.newclarion.com/2009/03/junk-science-mar-09/ Our mission is to combat the unreason and selflessness that are sweeping our culture from the nihilist left to the religious right, and to sound a new ideal of capitalism and individual rights in American politics. Thu, 29 Jul 2010 22:07:26 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Andrew Dalton http://www.newclarion.com/2009/03/junk-science-mar-09/#comment-1201 Andrew Dalton Thu, 19 Mar 2009 16:41:44 +0000 http://www.newclarion.com/?p=717#comment-1201 A common tactic of environmentalist groups is to issue self-published "reports" that reach a particular conclusion--and, of course, a policy prescription. The uncritical news media jump all over such "reports" like Ted Haggard on a gay hooker. And the general public, having been deprived of education in both the methods and the particulars of science, are unable to examine what they read, and so they tend to take anything as "scientific" if someone has labeled it as such in print. The best that can be done in the short term is to point out that these "reports" are all <i>press releases</i> by <i>activists</i>. A common tactic of environmentalist groups is to issue self-published “reports” that reach a particular conclusion–and, of course, a policy prescription. The uncritical news media jump all over such “reports” like Ted Haggard on a gay hooker. And the general public, having been deprived of education in both the methods and the particulars of science, are unable to examine what they read, and so they tend to take anything as “scientific” if someone has labeled it as such in print.

The best that can be done in the short term is to point out that these “reports” are all press releases by activists.

]]>