Making science into a matter of opinion or controversy is perhaps a new trend in Journalism. Ars Technica poses the question of whether this is good journalistic practice. They explain one telling situation:
[Autism is] a complicated message, which really requires a credible and authoritative source to convey. ABC News responded to that requirement by turning to actress Jenny McCarthy, who (predictably) complained that doctors weren’t “listening to our anecdotal evidence.” McCarthy has a long history of dismissing epidemiology, statistics, and all the other evidence-based tools we use to make public health decisions, so ABC News knew exactly what it was doing by giving her a podium.
This really gets to the heart of a question in journalistic practice–the balance between presenting “truth” and efforts to “present all sides equally.” Unfortunately, the two do not always coincide. I think I agree with Ars’ assessment:
In essence, the message it sent was “we will intentionally undercut the best available science using a celebrity.” Calling that message irresponsible grossly understates the problem.
via Why is the news media comfortable with lying about science?.