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Comment by cousin_it

6 years ago

Would it be too much to ask that, when a journalist writes on a topic they don't understand, they should ask an expert "hey can you sanity check this" before publishing?

7 comments

cousin_it

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aj3  6 years ago

It's not necessarily malice. Experts rarely have time to review some bullshit for free and the tight timelines don't help.

  • mattkrause  6 years ago

    I asked some science journalists about this on Twitter. Tight deadlines are a problem, but the bigger issue is that there’s some sort of journalistic principle about not letting “sources” see—-or approve—-the completed article.

    I don’t totally understand why, but I think they were a little unclear on what most scientists want, which is more like checking language and details (a lot of words that seem synonymous aren't in technical contexts) than controlling the overall message.

  • cousin_it  6 years ago

    If the journalist talked to the expert while writing the article, the expert will always be happy for a chance to sanity check. The only reason that's so often not done is because the journalist is on a power trip.