Here's Why Science Can Be Phony, Sometimes, According to 'Last Week Tonight' with John Oliver
We live in a media world where any information can get online and be interpreted as veritable. This of course includes the world of science, where new studies become daily topics for news shows and websites.
"Last Week Tonight's" John Oliver recently took on the world of phony science in his weekly show, outlining and detailing all that is wrong with modern day science and the audience's exposure to it. Here are some takeaways from his entertaining show.
1. Constant pressure to publish to procure funding.
Oliver showed a clip of one scientist noting that he needed to continually publish with the finest outlets to continue obtaining funding for his research. This has led to scientists tweaking studies and using statistical finds for their updates and reports. Many of these findings are not necessarily conclusive, but are statistically supported and give scientists something to publish to continue obtaining funding.
2. Few replication studies.
One of science's best ways for supporting a previous study is having other scientists replicate a study and find similar results. Unfortunately, Oliver posted a video showcasing why this never happens.
"Replication studies are so rarely funded, so underappreciated. They never get published." said Elizabeth Iorns, Ph.D, of the Science Exchange. "Nobody wants to do them ... So you have all of these exploratory studies out there that are taken as fact."
3. Media providing misinformation.
Oliver pointed to a study about comparing high and low flavanal chocolate during pregnancy. When the information was published in a press release, the title was altered to "The Benefits of Chocolate during Pregnancy" and then picked up by television.
The content in the television report did not correlate with any of the information actually showcased in the study, prompting Oliver to compare the misinterpretation to a game of telephone. Another study stated that drinking champagne would improve people's ability to avoid certain brain diseases. Of course the media coverage failed to mention that the study was performed on rats. He noted that this extended to not only the news media, but also more prestigious content distributors like TED talks.
4. Not providing sourcing or context.
Not only is the media not providing accurate information, but they are withholding important and relevant information for studies. Oliver noted that in one case study about dehydration causing similar driving problems as alcohol consumption, the report failed to mention that the study came from data on 11 men and that the funding for the study came from a company owned by Coca Cola. As noted, the champagne study failed to mention the rats involved as well.
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