Mark Hoofnagle has a PhD in physiology from the University of Virginia and is currently a 3rd year medical student. His interest in denialism concerns the use of denialist tactics to confuse public understanding of scientific knowledge.
Look, my beef with Steve Wilson isn't about style, isn't about quality, isn't about personality...it's about truths, and it's about health. Getting a detail wrong in an investigation of, say, cement is a peccadillo. Helping spread lies about the most important public health measure since clean water is a real problem.
It probably couldn't hurt to drop a line to the station. I'm not sure if the email address is any good, so here's the snail mail.
Bob Sliva, Vice President / General Manager
WXYZ-TV
20777 West Ten Mile Road
Southfield, MI 48037
talkback@wxyz.com
Medicine & Health
Comments
Amen.
I suspect that Mr. Wilson is so used to being attacked by the targets of his investigations and their allies who don't like them that he now automatically assumes that their complaints have no merit and that they're attacking him solely because they don't like being on the receiving end. He seems unable to comprehend that maybe, just maybe we might be right when we point out that he made multiple egregious errors of fact. Of course, there's no maybe about it, but that he seems not even to entertain the possibility that our criticisms have merit on the facts and science is what really bothers me about him. Getting the facts right is so critical in journalism, and he doesn't seem the least bit concerned about that.
Posted by: Orac | July 10, 2008 9:09 PM
Part of the problem with this kind of reporting is that it leads to idiocies like this.
Trialling a drug that we know has serious side effects, in a condition for which it is not indicated, and in a vulnerable population group to boot, is rank, unethical, stupidity.
And it's a stupidity that is driven on by crappy reporting and gutless politicians - both of which need to be opposed, root and branch.
Posted by: crankynick | July 10, 2008 9:38 PM
Getting details about cement right can be extremely important sometimes too.
Posted by: Pierce R. Butler | July 10, 2008 11:18 PM
Hmmm...good point.
Sorry, Popovics, wherever you are.
Posted by: PalMD![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://scienceblogs.com/denialism/nav-commenters.gif)
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July 10, 2008 11:25 PM