Ben Goldacre on science bloggers vs. science journalists
"So far - and I think I should start keeping a proper score here - that’s mainstream media 0, bloggers 10."
- Ben Goldacre, writing in the Guardian
In the latest episode of Bad Science, Goldacre exposes a dearth of critical coverage in the British press of a putative dyslexia treatment called the Dore "miracle cure". Apparently the sole study published about the treatment is famously flawed, certain people are being paid to give positive testimonials and certain science pundits and disgruntled patients have been threatened with libel if they give way to their desire to do the opposite.
But that's not the most interesting aspect of the case. Despite a lack of evidence that the treatment is efficacious, let alone miraculous, and despite both Ofcom and the Independent Television Commission having upheld complaints about unfounded claims, Goldacre can find only relentless positive coverage by the UK media, from the BBC right through to the respectable broadsheets. Instead, it has fallen to the science bloggers to debunk the Dore regimen – not just the science behind it, but also the turbulence surrounding the company's financial affairs.
You can read the rest of the piece here.