Post No.: 0250 Furrywisepuppy says: Putting aside issues like intentional research fraud or unintentional mistakes from scientists and reporters here, it often seems like conclusions in the social sciences (e.g. psychology, economics, sociology, political science, linguistics) are more … Read More
Post No.: 0238 Furrywisepuppy says: The ‘VIA’ analysis for assessing information stands for verifiable, independent and accountable. Reliable information is verifiable (so gather, assess and weigh up the evidence then place the facts in the bigger picture/overall context, … Read More
Post No.: 0231 Furrywisepuppy says: Regarding newspapers or magazines, comparing the ‘proper news sections’ (the reporting of plain, verified and independently-gathered information with accountability to their sources) with the ‘opinion sections’ (such as columns and editorials) is like … Read More
Post No.: 0223 Furrywisepuppy says: Pseudoscience is presented to look and sound a lot like science but it’s not really science at all. For instance, a lot of media stories are about mere speculation (i.e. no actual study … Read More
Post No.: 0212 Furrywisepuppy says: Especially amid the relatively new sectors of the media (namely online), but elsewhere too, the news is primarily about garnering eyeballs and clicks, about attracting attention and serving narrow self-interests – not necessarily … Read More
Post No.: 0200 Furrywisepuppy says: When reading academic papers, it is most important to read the methods and results sections, and then to make up your own mind based on these. The discussion and conclusion sections are potentially … Read More
Post No.: 0188 Furrywisepuppy says: All experimental research in science should be reported and published in academic journals to have all of their details peer-reviewed by experts – not have their results kept concealed or just reported in … Read More
Post No.: 0174 Furrywisepuppy says: Direct evidence and primary information sources, which include videos, photographs and eyewitness statements – are the original sources of data. Indirect evidence and secondary information sources, which include newspaper reports, forums and blogs … Read More
Post No.: 0167 Fluffystealthkitten says: Always read statistics carefully – read what they’re saying exactly, not what you think they’re saying. For example, don’t read too much into outliers yet don’t completely ignore them either, and don’t over-extrapolate … Read More
Post No.: 0151 Furrywisepuppy says: A media broadcaster’s goal could be to, for instance, increase readership, increase revenues and/or support a particular political party or leaning. It’ll need to constantly make subjective decisions based on its own partisan … Read More
Post No.: 0141 Furrywisepuppy says: The law of large numbers tells us that large sample sizes of random events will more likely produce one or two extreme events compared to small sample sizes, but these extreme events could … Read More
Post No.: 0134 Fluffystealthkitten says: A randomised-controlled trial (RCT) is a type of scientific experiment that involves randomising the allocation of the participants of an experiment between two groups – a group receiving the treatment under investigation (e.g. … Read More
Post No.: 0118 Furrywisepuppy says: ‘Fairness’ and ‘balance’ in news reports are not the same things – being fair to the overall weight of empirical evidence is far more important than balancing both sides of a story. For … Read More
Post No.: 0103 Furrywisepuppy says: The ‘echo chamber effect’ and ‘filter bubbles’ are troubling in this modern world of news and social media – they occur when people self-select their own circles of people and sources of information … Read More
Post No.: 0094 Furrywisepuppy says: Expanding on Post No.: 0064 – on the one hand, the Internet is fantastic because it liberates information, allowing it to be easily and freely shared (e.g. public interest news, facts, lessons), but … Read More
Post No.: 0084 Furrywisepuppy says: The professional press industry is generally a very good thing if it is free to investigate stories and issues of public interest and isn’t controlled by a single monopoly (be it a state … Read More
Post No.: 0064 Furrywisepuppy says: Don’t be a passive news consumer – actively critique everything you read, see or hear, rather than take things at face value as if the words of journalists, scientists or whoever are ‘indisputable … Read More
Post No.: 0052 Furrywisepuppy says: Summary statistics (such as the mean (or the average), median (the ‘middle’ value) and mode (the most frequently occurring value)) based on a sample group – represent that sample group as a whole … Read More
Post No.: 0044 Furrywisepuppy says: Scientific experiments involving new products should really compare to the best existing alternative treatment if one exists (represented fairly e.g. with the correct dosages) as a control group – rather than to nothing, … Read More
Post No.: 0034 Furrywisepuppy says: Please understand the differences between a hypothesis, fact, theory and law when talking in scientific contexts and when reading science news… A hypothesis is the starting point of any original scientific experiment … Read More
