The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How To Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake

by Steven Novella

Say a new study is published in a peer-reviewed journal showing that last year was the hottest year on record. A television news show wants to cover the story, but the editorial staff is faced with a problem: Do they invite only the author of the study onto the show to discuss why climate change is such a problem and what steps could be taken to mitigate its effects? This would certainly be a fair approach, as it would provide unbiased, evidence-based content for the show’s audience. Or should the producers invite the author of the study to sit across from a climate change skeptic (what we might fairly call a climate change “denier”) to fill the airtime with a back-and-forth about whether or not global warming even exists.