Nobody has ever come to the conclusion that The Beatles are overrated through the process of actually listening to their albums, reading about their work, lives, and the context surrounding it all, and generating an understanding of the topic.
Trophy hunting has been around an awful long time, and for that entire time lions have been the most prized trophy of all. If it hunting lions is conservation, then it is the longest running conservation project that I know of, and, given the current state of lion populations, a somewhat unsuccessful one at that.
It may often seem that the public are presented with a choice between either a more interesting but less factual journalistic style, or a more accurate, and objective, but less engrossing scientific style. However, the public currently have access to science communication which comes directly from the scientists themselves, and is just as captivating and engrossing as any media sensationalism.
In these following three case studies, science communication has directly influenced, and continues to influence, matters that are far from trivial: the education of America’s children; global policy on the planet’s future; and the life or death of people (born and unborn) caught up in South Africa’s AIDS epidemic.
A carefully and professionally made decision. An entirely humane euthanasia. An educational opportunity for people of all ages. An economical and efficient use of animal meat. If you are able to take those four sentences and cause widespread controversy, then you may just have a future in the media.
william altoft 