FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Nancy Rothschild/301-459-3366 ext. 5615/301-429-5748 fax [email protected]
It Ain't Necessarily SoHOW MEDIA MAKE AND UNMAKE THE SCIENTIFIC PICTURE OF REALITYBy David Murray, Joel Schwartz, and S. Robert Lichter
Who can forget those fun-filled Halloween traditions? Carving the jack-o-lantern. Collecting heaps of chocolate, licorice, and bubble gum. And Mom dumping your trick-or-treat bags on the kitchen table, searching frantically for that cocaine-laced sucker or that shiny apple filled with razor blades. Will you subject your children to the same dump-and-search routine?
What if you learned that-although every Halloween the media warns parents about the threat of tainted candy-not a single reported case of a homicidal stranger poisoning treats exists?
The real epidemic here is not widespread candy contamination, but a news industry gone awry, misinterpreting, arbitrarily reporting, and exaggerating the latest statistics. In an age ruled by science and technology, every day brings a new story on the latest research results. How can we be sure the media are getting the facts straight?
IT AIN'T NECESSARILY SO is a shocking expose of the news media's coverage of the world of scientific research and phenomena. Page after page, authors David Murray, Joel Schwartz, and S. Robert Lichter dissect the scientific stories reported by radio, television, and newspapers-stories that dramatically affect public policy and private lives. And we learn that the sources we so faithfully trust may not be so reliable after all.
IT AIN'T NECESSARILY SO poses urgent questions about the state of scientific reporting, such as: * Why do journalists choose to prominently feature findings many scientists would disregard?* Why does the media's telling of a scientific phenomenon differ so much from the actual occurrence?* Do journalists analyze the validity of scientific studies? Do they, for example, appreciate the difference between hour-long, in-person interviews versus ten-minute phone surveys?* How can two different papers report conflicting findings based on the same scientific study?* Why do the news media report some research findings and ignore others?* Do researchers' motives-financial or ideological-invalidate or at least call into question their findings?
Airplane crashes. The AIDS epidemic. Presidential election polls and voting results. All these news stories require scientific savvy both to report and-for news consumers-to understand. IT AIN'T NECESSARILY SO cuts through the miasma surrounding media reporting of scientific studies, surveys, and statistics. Whether the problem is bad science, media politics, or a simple lack of information or knowledge, this book gives readers the tools to penetrate the hype and dig out the facts. Don't stop flying, run to the doctor, or change your diet until you read IT AIN'T NECESSARILY SO.
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IT AIN'T NECESSARILY SO: How Media Make and Unmake The Scientific Picture Of RealityDavid Murray, Joel Schwartz, and S. Robert LichterApril 2001; ISBN 0-7425-1095-6 256 pages; $24.95 clothRowman & Littlefield Publishersdistributed by National Book Network
***There will be a panel discussion of issues raised in the book at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. This event is open to the public.Where: National Press Club; 14th and F Streets, NW; Washington, DCWhen: Wednesday, April 18, 2001; 9:00 AMWho: Linda Kulman, Robert Lichter, David Murray, Robert Park, Curt Suplee
For more information, please contact:Nancy RothschildRowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.301-459-3366 ext. 5615301-429-5748 fax[email protected]
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