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Science Journalism ( astronomy): I can't take it anymore!!!
The latest bit of science so-called journalism from NBCNEWS.com's very
own Tariq Malik (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/50031629/ns/ technology_and_science-space/#.ULosdoZ8NHY): "In the 1990s, the European Space Agency's star-mapping Hipparcos satellite determined the 434 light-year distance to Polaris, while other studies suggested the star could be closer to the sun. One light- year is the distance light travels in a single year, about 6 trillion miles (10 trillion kilometers)." I predictably stopped reading at that point (will follow it up later on Wikipedia) and violently cursed at my computer screen for the nth time running. Oh, please, must every single ***CENSORED*** astronomy story in the ***CENSORED*** public media have to ***CENSORED*** explain to me what a ***CENSORED*** light-year is??? I'm reading an astronomy story, right??? What could be more ***CENSORED*** basic to elementary astronomy than how long a light-year is??? , Do these ***CENSORED*** science "journalists" never cease to think that we (who regularly read up on the latest scientific discoveries) are that ***CENSORED*** uninformed??? Imagine if every football story in the sports section contained something like the following: "The Jets took the lead by scoring a touchdown in the last minute of regulation. A touchdown counts for six points; the following kick, if successful, is worth one additional point." Sports journalists, business journalists, political journalists, weather journalists, entertainment journalists, and so on generally do not insult their readership with such patronizing awfulness. American science journalists do nothing but insult their readership by repeatedly spouting facts which (to us followers of science) are common knowledge. Oh, well, enough ranting for now... |
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Science Journalism ( astronomy): I can't take it anymore!!!
"DWIII" wrote in message
... The latest bit of science so-called journalism from NBCNEWS.com's very own Tariq Malik (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/50031629/ns/ technology_and_science-space/#.ULosdoZ8NHY): "In the 1990s, the European Space Agency's star-mapping Hipparcos satellite determined the 434 light-year distance to Polaris, while other studies suggested the star could be closer to the sun. One light- year is the distance light travels in a single year, about 6 trillion miles (10 trillion kilometers)." I predictably stopped reading at that point (will follow it up later on Wikipedia) and violently cursed at my computer screen for the nth time running. Oh, please, must every single ***CENSORED*** astronomy story in the ***CENSORED*** public media have to ***CENSORED*** explain to me what a ***CENSORED*** light-year is??? I'm reading an astronomy story, right??? What could be more ***CENSORED*** basic to elementary astronomy than how long a light-year is??? , Do these ***CENSORED*** science "journalists" never cease to think that we (who regularly read up on the latest scientific discoveries) are that ***CENSORED*** uninformed??? Imagine if every football story in the sports section contained something like the following: "The Jets took the lead by scoring a touchdown in the last minute of regulation. A touchdown counts for six points; the following kick, if successful, is worth one additional point." Sports journalists, business journalists, political journalists, weather journalists, entertainment journalists, and so on generally do not insult their readership with such patronizing awfulness. American science journalists do nothing but insult their readership by repeatedly spouting facts which (to us followers of science) are common knowledge. Oh, well, enough ranting for now... ============================================ Yeah, well, every time Einstein's name comes up so does E= mc^2. Never mind that the stupid **** also wrote http://www.fourmilab.ch/etexts/einst...ures/img11.gif that the journalist never heard of. Never mind that the arsehole never passed a math exam in his life. "the velocity of light in our theory plays the part, physically, of an infinitely great velocity" and Einstein plays the part, physically, of Bozo the clown in Barnum and Bailey's circus. You are right, science journalism is crap. -- This message is brought to you from the keyboard of Lord Androcles, Zeroth Earl of Medway |
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Science Journalism ( astronomy): I can't take it anymore!!!
On 01/12/2012 11:58 AM, DWIII wrote:
The latest bit of science so-called journalism from NBCNEWS.com's very own Tariq Malik (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/50031629/ns/ technology_and_science-space/#.ULosdoZ8NHY): "In the 1990s, the European Space Agency's star-mapping Hipparcos satellite determined the 434 light-year distance to Polaris, while other studies suggested the star could be closer to the sun. One light- year is the distance light travels in a single year, about 6 trillion miles (10 trillion kilometers)." I predictably stopped reading at that point (will follow it up later on Wikipedia) and violently cursed at my computer screen for the nth time running. Oh, please, must every single ***CENSORED*** astronomy story in the ***CENSORED*** public media have to ***CENSORED*** explain to me what a ***CENSORED*** light-year is??? I'm reading an astronomy story, right??? What could be more ***CENSORED*** basic to elementary astronomy than how long a light-year is??? , Do these ***CENSORED*** science "journalists" never cease to think that we (who regularly read up on the latest scientific discoveries) are that ***CENSORED*** uninformed??? Imagine if every football story in the sports section contained something like the following: Of all of deficiencies in science journalism, and your biggest complaint is that they explain what a light-year is too often?!? Yousuf Khan |
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