this post was submitted on 19 Jul 2023
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As a chemist scary terms like "forever chemicals" rub me the wrong way. Just speak openly about what the research says.
The vast majority of research gets zero press coverage, regardless of how relevant it may be to the public. Even within science you're rolling the dice whether you'll get any citations 5 years down the line.
The current media machine is only able to sustain headlines that exaggerate or "overhype" the findings of studies anyway. Let alone the amount of research out there that can't be reproduced, or has falsified data, or itself is exaggerated in its significance. In my opinion the only time research should make it to the undiscerning public is when a wealth of studies have been done independently, in agreement with one another.
I would offer a different perspective, though it could be that I'm misreading your intention in the last sentence. Scientific findings should all be available to the public, which is the ultimate source of most research funding through taxation or through product pricing. Misunderstanding should be addressed through education, not restricting access to knowledge.
Right. Open access to the papers themselves is good. But they shouldn't be pushed into normal news feeds without more careful consideration.
Absolutely. Press releases will always overhype research to make it interesting to read. It is unfortunate those in the scientific community feel they need to do this. Many institutions pressure their researchers to submit these press releases so they can show off what they do to the public. As I type this, I realize how the institutions themselves feel they need these public summaries for their survival. Would taxpayers ever support research if they don't understand it??
Perhaps what is most needed is to drop the spin and hype while still informing the public about the scientific process and results!