The section I found most interesting this week is the part
on Science Reporting. As a student studying pre-nursing, I always have science
classes and have done papers where I had to interpret scientific information. Therefore,
I appreciate it when scientific findings are reliable. The subsection,
“Misinterpretation of Scientific Findings,” discusses how reporters do not have
a background in studying science and how they can misinform us about scientific
studies. Boss also mentions how scientific information can also be
sensationalized and be biased in terms of gender and culture and also how not
all the information about scientific studies is reported to the public. The
subsection “Government Influence and Bias” discusses how the government can
control the scientific reports and distort them. An example in the book is how
US officials reported that the dangers of the chemical dioxin were exaggerated
when it really is a dangerous chemical. Therefore, because of all this
misinformation that can occur, we need to evaluate scientific research. We need
to look at the credentials of the sources, proper citation, experts’ opinions,
and if the report is biased or not.
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