Mediarology
Steven Schnieder explains how scientists should deal with journalists in a politically charged climate.
In reporting political, legal, or other advocacy-dominated stories, it is both natural and appropriate for honest journalists to report “both sides” of an issue. Got the Democrat? Better get the Republican!
In science, it’s different. There are rarely just two polar opposite sides, but rather a spectrum of potential outcomes, oftentimes accompanied by a considerable history of scientific assessment of the relative credibility of these many possibilities. A climate scientist faced with a reporter locked into the “get both sides” mindset risks getting his or her views stuffed into one of two boxed storylines: “we’re worried” or “it will all be OK.” And sometimes, these two “boxes” are misrepresentative; a mainstream, well-established consensus may be “balanced” against the opposing views of a few extremists, and to the uninformed, each position seems equally credible. Any scientist wandering into the political arena and naively thinking “balanced” assessment is what all sides seek (or hear) had better learn fast how the advocacy system really functions. (See the Edwards-Schneider chapter, “Self-Governance and Peer Review in Science-for-Policy: The Case of the IPCC Second Assessment Report”.)
Being stereotyped as the “pro” advocate versus the “con” advocate as far as action on climate change is concerned is not a quick ticket to a healthy scientific reputation as an objective interpreter of the science — particularly for a controversial science like global warming. In actuality, it encourages personal attacks and distortions (see the “Double Ethical bind” pitfall below).
This is all part of the problem I have, somewhat whimsically, called “mediarology.” I will explore this problematic world of communications in some depth below. (See also the Epilogue and the chapter titled “Mediarology” in my book, Global Warming.)