Yikes! Who do they employ as Science Reporters!

[barx1963]

Saw this story pop up https://www.news.com.au/technology/science/space/piece-of-the-sun-breaks-off-stunning-scientists-very-curious/news-story/77320542154e2cd5b7e805271faf5f11

Apparently NewsCorp don't bother employing anyone with actual science knowledge (surprise Surprise!). Apart from the ridiculous "chunk of the sun" thing the fact it was reported as an observation by the James Webb telescope baffles me, point that at the sun and it would be fried in about a nanosecond!!

Malcolm

[xelasnave]

Journalism seems to have become rather poor all over...I know that is a generalisation but it is clear that there is a great deal of material that is floated as news etc that is made up rubbish.
Alex

[Crater101]

I have to agree. The old saying that the media never let the truth get in the way of a good story seems to be gaining more weight.

[astroron]

The over use of reference to James Webb space telescope
is a Click bait these days, even though it has nothing to
do with the "story" whatsoever.
Quite a few "Science" sites are guilty of this, plus of course
the mainstream media, and anyone who can say JWST.
Cheers :thumbsup:

[Hodur]

Could it be that they’re simply stupid?

[xelasnave]

I would be somewhat happy if that were the case however the fake news business particularly as it relates to conspiracies is a multi billion dollar business... I read ( and one can only presume that material was valid) that there are at least 12 organisations (in USA and presumably other countries would have similar) each with 50 to 60 strong staff each of whom are required to produce 22 articles each month...now I am not that clever but I really can not see how one could research a subject and produce articles in that time frame without a few corners being cut...

Most folk are too busy to stop and analyse anything and I suspect these "journalists" rely on the confirmation bias of their targetted readers to get away with being fast and loose with facts...well I believe I could prove that claim beyond a reasonable doubt but I dont care if someone is so gulible they fall for these stories... who wants to be told the truth by an old fool?

Someone said to me.." even the very wealthy are preparing survival bunkers" and pointed me to an article...now personally I wonder how a journalist of no repute could gain access to several " bunkers" owned by billionaires..now I am guessing but isn't that something they would keep very secret?..And perhaps if anyone who was not of the belief that doomsday will be any time now would stop and think " sounds like a big lie" but as I said these journalists clearly take advantage of that common human flaw... that of "confirmation bias" ...the readership, firstly are reading it because the head lines grab them but then can use the article to confirm their doomsday view is right...after all the billionaires are doing what I am doing...see I am right....they want it to be right so it is obviously a true story....And make no mistake it is not stupidity that these journalists have a problem with it is merely meeting dead lines for copy that are unrealistic.

AND unfortunately it happens with science reporting...who remembers " Steven Hawking says black holes don't exist" ...now that is a head line...but read the facts And we find out he speculated that under certain conditions some black holes may not form...but I guess the actual facts made a rather dull head line.

We all unfortunately believe most everything we hear...
My favorite to demonstrate thus is..And I bet you have heard it or even repeated it...
"The daddy long legs spider is the most venomous spider "... mmm so I go look for the scientific paper...none...this claim grew from a casual observation of a daddy long legs spider being alive along side a dead red back spider ( or similar)...did they see the attack? No....so one can guess that this myth started it's life as a rushed copy from some "journalist" before he hit on the idea to make up a story that the rich are preparing for doomsday.

Each of us should take the time to stop folk telling myths as truth...so speak up..the truth will set you free.

Alex

[The_bluester]

I thought the comments section was as damning in general as the "report"

[Camelopardalis]

Yeah think of it this way… if someone was scientifically literate, why would they want to work for those muckspreaders :shrug:

[LewisM]

When you have the US Defence Department not ruling out the laughably inept balloon incidents over the US as possibly being of alien origin (insert massive suppository of copium here), you have to wonder if the journos are more sane than those they are reporting.