More on the really bad journalism

An excellent fisking by Johnny at Ecographica is here - including the cover that New Scientist should have used...

More from Larry at Sandwalk here, on the cover and the intent of the article. Marco F at Leucophaea has a blog in Italian that I think says complimentary things about the critics [Babelfish kept on interpreting something as the evolution of the geniuses, and I'm fairly sure that wasn't about me].

And a drunken front doorstop by Malte and David at Mr Darwin's home here. Mr Darwin was unfortunately unwell. Naturalists should never be allowed to drink.

More: Chance and Necessity compares how National Geographic does it with how New Scientist did. Bora does an editorial review meeting, and T Ryan Gregory has some words too about the magazine's overall direction. The Rough Guide to Evolution points out that Darwin actually did not even assert there was one single tree of life including both plants and animals anyway...

More more: Allen McNeill at The Evolution List discusses how lateral gene transfer has been known for at least a quarter half century.

More like this

Recently, ScienceBlogs own Abbie Smith made some trenchant remarks about the problems with science journalism. The combination of sensationalism with writers who frequently do not understand the work about which they are writing leads to some serious difficulties for scientists wishing to…
SPECIAL NOTE:This page and its subordinate pages will no longer be updated. See the new page at my new blog for the live version, and change all your subscriptions. Thank you. This is a list of the Basic Concepts posts being put up by Science Bloggers and others. It will be updated and put to the…
SPECIAL NOTE:This page and its subordinate pages will no longer be updated. See the new page at my new blog for the live version, and change all your subscriptions. Thank you. This is a list of the Basic Concepts posts being put up by Science Bloggers and others. It will be updated and put to the…
Kathy Sykes, Professor of Sciences and Society at Bristol University has written a provocative article in the latest New Scientist entitled "Science in the media: Put up or shut up" The star of Rough Science argues that while science communication often leaves a lot to be desired, scientists…

As a matter of fact there was something about genes (in italian singular gene - plural geni) not about geniuses (singular genio - plural geni).
In the post I was just stating the obvious, with a minor disagreement with you (how dare I?). Graham Lawton's article isn't that bad - from a journalist point of view, I mean: well researched, with good number of citations. Well, a little twisted at the end, but not as bad as the Newsweek one, which I find awful, and you failed to comment. I ended the post just saying that Darwin was wrong, but NOT where the critics declare he was. To make a long story short; Lawton is a good science journalist, but he slipped on this piece (his defence(s) all over the internet are a good evidence - excusation non petita...), and he provided weapons to creos.
And, BTW, in my Weltanshauung you are a genius... 8-)

P. S. I'll send you the pdf of the article with your interview as soon as I get it.

Today I don't care that this post is set 600 minutes into the future ;-)

This poster is further into the future still. (Aussies will get it.)

Thanks for posting the links. You might add this link: http://scienceblogs.com/bookclub/2009/01/13_things_that_dont_make_sense…

This book review includes: It took me several chapters to pin down what bugged me about the book, but it all became clear when I looked at the back cover flap, and saw that the author is a former editor of New Scientist. Th[is] really pretty much sums it up-- in physics circles, New Scientist is known for publishing three or four articles a year proclaiming the imminent overthrow of relativity or quantum mechanics, usually with an "Einstein Was Wrong" sort of headline. [...]

PS: re Babelfish kept on interpreting something as the evolution of the geniuses, and I'm fairly sure that wasn't about me: never pass up opportunities for praise, surely!

By Heraclides (not verified) on 30 Jan 2009 #permalink