Scientifical Americans Quotes

“Science in the media is often framed as a form of entertainment, not as necessarily critical information. In Selling Science (1987), Dorothy Nelkin reminds us that scientists fill a role in press coverage: they appear as “wizards,” superior in knowledge and intelligence to the rest of us. The media portrayal of scientists creates a serious misconception of how science works. And, it places scientists on a pedestal of authority. Nelkin also says that press coverage of scientific findings is framed to appeal to the public’s desire for an easy solution to problem issues. By not presenting the entire process of scientific inquiry or discovery and by de-emphasizing important points of dispute or possible error, journalists leave readers with little to judge the reasonableness or truth of such findings, or even if they are scientific at all.”
― Sharon A Hill, Scientifical Americans: The Culture of Amateur Paranormal Researchers

“Science progresses on a path quite different from what the public sees. Regular surveys about the public understanding of science tell us that the non-scientist doesn’t comprehend well the importance of critical concepts like controlled trials, peer review, skeptical criticism, and holding provisional conclusions. People form their ideas about science from the input they get via basic education and popular culture. The scientific news and literature is very different from news and media meant for public consumption and it is not easily accessible to the public. Most of us get our news through sources that assume a non-specialist audience. These emphasize exciting or monetary aspects of the latest findings in science, disregarding or oversimplifying the amount of work necessary to reach the conclusion. This framing of science news, unfortunately, misrepresents the process and skews the public understanding of science.”
― Sharon A Hill, Scientifical Americans: The Culture of Amateur Paranormal Researchers

“Paranormal activity is presumed to exist by many people. But, that is not proof that it does exist.”
― Sharon A Hill, Scientifical Americans: The Culture of Amateur Paranormal Researchers