This web page was produced as an assignment for Genetics 677, an undergraduate course at UW-Madison
Popular Press vs. Scientific Journals
When comparing the accuracy of the popular press in areas of science to scientific journals it is often found, unsurprisingly, that the popular press is least accurate reporter. Many times, scientific problems will be oversimplified, generating an incorrect view on the actual scientific facts. This often occurs in the controversial areas of global warming and stem cell research. When the article from the New York Times is compared the the Lee paper, no such discrepancies are found.
Both the paper and the article were published in the infancy of our understanding of the RB1 gene. When looking at both, it becomes clear that, not only are there no discrepancies between the two, they almost complement each other perfectly. The Times article, which was published three years before the Lee article, states that, at the time of publishing, the gene for retinoblastoma has yet to be discovered. The results of the Lee paper provides just such information.
The article and the Lee paper agree for two reasons. Both were clearly written and neither the article, nor the paper made statements that were not backed up by evidence. This kind of agreement between the popular press and scientific journals could be achieved in all areas of science, if the example set by these authors were followed more often.
Justin Lengfeld
[email protected]
Genetics 677
Last Update: 5/13/09
