Post No.: 0332 Furrywisepuppy says: With scientific experiments, scientists must declare their hypotheses before they begin gathering any data. This is because – especially if you’re going to measure a lot of different things and especially if you’re … Read More
Post No.: 0318 Furrywisepuppy says: When choosing a headline for a story, a good journalist should use the most well-supported scenario rather than a headline that’s only used to grab attention (clickbaiting), and then immediately follow it by … Read More
Post No.: 0308 Furrywisepuppy says: ‘Selection biases’, or sometimes synonymously ‘sampling biases’, occur when there is a bias in how the participants or data point samples are selected for use in an experiment, study or survey. An example … Read More
Post No.: 0291 Furrywisepuppy says: Journalists seldom just ask random academics for their expertise – they’ll tend to actively attempt to find experts or ‘experts’ who’ll say the things they hope will be said for the sake of … Read More
Post No.: 0279 Furrywisepuppy says: History used to be written (and rewritten) and spread by the victors or by whoever was in power at the time, with the accounts of the losers often being erased or denied. But … Read More
Post No.: 0264 Furrywisepuppy says: In scientific experiments, take care with distinguishing between independent and dependent variables – for instance, individual fair dice rolls are independent from each other because the result of one roll has no bearing … Read More
Post No.: 0256 Fluffystealthkitten says: The ‘scientific method’ specifies that a hypothesis must be empirically testable (testable via observations), falsifiable (there must be some way for someone to attempt to show that a hypothesis is false), logically consistent … Read More
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
