[Coral-List] Media hyperbole in Coral Science

[sealab at earthlink.net]

Hi Colin,

“We aren't always going to be happy with the way a reporter relays the story from the mouth of a scientist. But it is a shame that we scientists spend so much time and effort looking inward at ourselves and trying to find who to blame when the importance of a 'feel good story' is overstated”.

While I agree in part with your sentiments, there is a big difference between media reporting and science. Science, by definition is data driven and objective. I have yet to see a scientific paper using satire to drive home a point as was the case in the 2016 Outside Magazine article on the death of the GBR.

I would argue that scientists have an even more pronounced responsibility to lay out the facts than the media does. Everyone knows (or should know) that the media today is skewed with various networks catering to every political persuasion. Science is supposed to be different.

There is room for optimism, but we must be sure that it is well placed and fact based or soon, like with the news, societies won’t be able to differentiate between “fake science” and the real thing.

Regards,

Steve Mussman

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On 5/11/20, 12:42 PM, Coral Morphologic via Coral-List <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:

It's important to point out that the stories in popular media about coral

reefs aren't always effusively positive or uplifting. Far from it.

Remember the misleading 'The Great Barrier Reef is Pronounced Dead' stories

from a few years ago? In my opinion it was not exactly helpful, and it

seems the outcome was that just as many people tuned out/stopped caring, as

the there were people who stepped up to care more. It was such a misleading

headline that there is an entire Snopes entry on this story that they

labelled 'false'. While it seems that people are gravitating towards the

positive right now, we could also be having the same conversation from the

perspective of 'doom/drama sells'. This negative pathos is typically the

way media prioritizes and frames its top stories. We aren't always going to

be happy with the way a reporter relays the story from the mouth of a

scientist. But it is a shame that we scientists spend so much time and

effort looking inward at ourselves and trying to find who to blame when the

importance of a 'feel good story' is overstated. Running the Coral City

Camera from PortMiami is a perfect example of an environmental story that

could be framed positively or negatively depending on the journalist's

angle. It is so much on the razor's edge between positive and negative that

it in many ways it is just easier to just overlook entirely.

Our dear leader has made attacking the media central to his populist

message to a potentially dangerous degree. Everyone claims #fakenews now,

and as a result lots of people no longer trust these media outlets. I agree

that the media, (which, lest we forget, is a really just a vehicle to sell

advertising) doesn't always get the story right. But we should be careful

to not place blame on the people interviewed as to the shortcomings of the

story as it ends up presented. So while I agree that criticism of media is

warranted, and corrections/follow-ups are important, until there's a new

media revolution for direct scientific communication with the public,

mainstream outlets are still the best avenue we have to reach the hearts

and minds of the people to inform them of the best and worst developments

in the health of coral reefs globally. Kudos to every coral scientist who

has dedicated their lives to bringing more corals into the world and

understanding that returning the reefs to glory is an all-hands-on-deck

affair that requires environmental action at the local, national, and

international level. We can work to fight global warming AND advance coral

reproduction success at the same time! They are definitely not mutually

exclusive goals.

Cheers,

Colin

Coral Morphlogic

Coral City Camera

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