BBC Told To Stop Giving Equal Time To Science Deniers

Read more at http://www.iflscience.com/environment/bbc-told-stop-giving-equal-time-science-deniers#vMxYeik89AFgqDpj.99

Originally posted by Zahlanzi
Read more at http://www.iflscience.com/environment/bbc-told-stop-giving-equal-time-science-deniers#vMxYeik89AFgqDpj.99

They've asked for and been given some advice to give "due weight" based on the level of consensus. I think the headline is misleading as it makes it sound like they're being reprimanded. The article goes on to state that Steve Jones' report was generally quite supportive. Only suggesting that impartiality was better served by stating how plausible competing views are. This is not obviously the right thing to do. Science works within paradigm theories, once an idea, for example anthropological driven climate change Reveal Hidden Content and typically the vast majority of researchers believe the paradigm; the sceptics are in a minority, sometimes quite a small one. Scientific paradigms are occasionally overturned. If they start reporting minority views as minority views then I agree with the idea. If this means that they stop reporting them altogether then they've made a mistake. After all the 'scientific' consensus was once that the world was flat - those who thought it a sphere were in a minority.

Originally posted by DeepThought
They've asked for and been given some advice to give "due weight" based on the level of consensus. I think the headline is misleading as it makes it sound like they're being reprimanded. The article goes on to state that Steve Jones' report was generally quite supportive. Only suggesting that impartiality was better served by stating how plausible com ...[text shortened]... ' consensus was once that the world was flat - those who thought it a sphere were in a minority.

Excellent post, I wish I could have stated it half as eloquently.

Originally posted by DeepThought
They've asked for and been given some advice to give "due weight" based on the level of consensus. I think the headline is misleading as it makes it sound like they're being reprimanded. The article goes on to state that Steve Jones' report was generally quite supportive. Only suggesting that impartiality was better served by stating how plausible com ...[text shortened]... ' consensus was once that the world was flat - those who thought it a sphere were in a minority.

Trying to lecture the BBC on the importance of balance, including minority views, is truly bathetic.

Originally posted by DeepThought
After all the 'scientific' consensus was once that the world was flat - those who thought it a sphere were in a minority.

I am not sure this was ever true. But I generally agree with the rest of what you have said. However, I am not sure minority views that are not scientific views at all, should be given any media time whatsoever. If for example someone today were to believe the world was flat, let them at least convince some scientist of this before it gets reported on in the media - unless of course the belief is being reported on for entertainment purposes or some other reason not to do with publicizing scientific ideas.