Recycling is a Waste of Time - FORAcast 3

People need to think critically about the messages being presented to them. Of course, the media should watch their fear-mongering, sensationalistic titles, but people should aim to be smarter than to be swayed by such things...but also to act if necessary.

This is exactly why I'm a little cynical. Where is the line drawn between scientific fact, and media intrepretation? I disagree with what Chris Chapley is saying....

Areas of science that are not being debated in the mainstream are often times complex and complex stories are not necessarily black and white issues that fit into a neat box we call the tv where we can see scientists with "opposing" views discuss an issue.

Scientists are not backing away from any issues, usually they are not being asked to be a part of the mediated discussion, unless they wrote a book about weight loss. That said the scientist who has the best selling book on weight loss will all of a sudden be asked to give opinions on other areas of science because they are now famous. Fame trumps expertise.

How do you take a complex issue, explain it in a story with a beginning, middle and an end that is geared for the mainstream... it's very very difficult to do that without turning the issue into a good versus evil type of debate. It's therefore easier to ignore the issues until we can digest it in fun snackable media buzz clips.

It is about rhetoric as Hulme says and as the rhetoric of war is morphing into headlines revolutions are for skincare.

The mainstream media cares more about inflated language and disaster theories than what message the scientists are trying to get across. No one can set out an exact and specific problem/solution, but we should all realize there is a problem with the environment, largly caused by us humans. Eventually, we will pollute or overpopulate ourselves off the planet, it is up to us how to effect this fact possitively or not.