Fake science - Portsmouth Daily Times

"Gina Kolata is a kindred spirit who has written a series for the New York Times called “The Science of Fat.” She is a science journalist with degrees in molecular biology and mathematics. The difference between Gina Kolata at The New York Times and me with “Fat Science” at the Portsmouth Daily Times… well the differences are multiple and abundantly obvious. All good though.

Fake news is a big topic of today’s political scene and Gina Kolata recently wrote a report on the difficulties inherent in this business we share of ferreting out fake science.(1) A ferret is a weaselly animal that can get into the burrows of rabbits and rats and ferret them out.

The internet is to blame as it provides “open access” and free information. Just as the internet has disrupted the “main street” press and traditional news agencies, it has likewise disrupted scientific reporting and science journalism. Apparently there are just as many open access scientific journals on the internet where scientists, or maybe just anybody, can pay to get a scientific paper accepted, as there are traditional established journals who peer review what gets published. The old way costs money and time and it’s hard. There are still plenty of mistakes made in this tried and true method of getting to the truth. The new way is way worse."