Science Showdown: Goldacre vs Drayson

Prepare yourselves for a seismic science showdown! In the reeeeeed corner: the man from Le Mans, Britain's very own Minister for Science, the Lord Paul Rudd Drayson! In the bluuuuue corner: the Rational Radical, Benjamin "Bad Science" Goldacre!

After a crossing swords on Twitter, the two agreed to go head-to-head in a no-holes-barred meeting of minds. Details have been released: fight night is Sept 16, 7pm at the Royal Institution. Attendance to this match is FREE, details on how to attend are in the press release issued by BIS below the fold:

Science reporting: is it good for you?

Lord Drayson & Ben Goldacre discuss science journalism

Wednesday, 16 September 2009
19:00 - 20:30

Faraday Theatre, Royal Institution, Albermale Street, London, W1S 4BS

Dear all,

The Royal Institution, together with Times Higher Education and the Department for Business Innovation & Skills, invite you to join science minister Lord Drayson and doctor Ben Goldacre (author of Bad Science) for an open discussion on the state of science reporting in Britain.

Don't miss this chance to air your views on what's both good and bad about the coverage of science and science-related stories in this country. It's also an opportunity to reflect on the importance of public understanding of science and share ideas about how best to improve it.

Please pass this on to your peoples. We're keen for scientists and science communicators (journalists, press officers, etc... ) to come and share their views on this topic.

Please also pass on your mates. The more regular punters the better!

For people unable to attend in person, this free event will be streamed live on the THE website. Viewers will be welcome to participate in the debate via Twitter.

Tickets will be available on the Royal Institution website this afternoon: www.rigb.org. Don't miss out!

All the best and hope to see you there,