--- Late Breaking News ---
Evaluating
Media Coverage
The
following questions will help you evaluate a report on science.
|
1.
Where is the report?Is it in a
scientific journal, a serious newspaper, a popular science magazine, or a
tabloid? |
4.
Does the report provide evidence that the claims are supported by other members
of the scientific community? |
7.
Is there a clear basis for suspecting bias on the part of the source or the
writer of the report? |
|
2.
Is the report based on observations of actual occurrences?Were
those observations made by more than one person?More
than a few? |
5.
Does the evidence for the claims seem sufficient?Is there contradictory evidence that might offset the evidence given for them? |
8.
Can you describe the line of reasoning that leads from the evidence to the
claims? |
|
3.
Are the sources of the report identified specifically?Are
the sources specific, named scientists, scientific journals, or scientific
organizations? |
6.
Do the claims follow logically from the evidence?Do the claims violate reason (for example: “99 year-old woman gives birth to baby believed to be
dead for 50 years”)?Is there a simpler
explanation for the observations? |
|