Science Writing

Newspaper science writing is "going out of existence," according to one report, and that's bad news because soon what people know about science will come from such brainiac experts as Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck.  If you haven't felt fear before, you should now.

Several mainstream news organizations in recent years have let go of their science reporters and done away with their science sections altogether. The science section of The New York Times, which is one of the few left in the country, features more health-related stories and fewer hard-science stories than it used to, said [Natalie] Angier, a Pulitzer Prize winner.

In a nation that struggles with basic science knowledge, that means what people know about science will only get worse. For those who drank the Kool-Aid and think the new world of blogs and various online sources will make things better -- pfffft.  It won't.  Not for most everyday people.  Instead we'll have pseudo-science ruling the day, and we'll all be worse off for it.

Yeah, the public likes science, but affect (emotion) and knowledge are very different bowls of red syrupy sugary drink.  After all, only 47 percent of Americans know electrons are smaller than atoms.  Yup, I'm reeeaaal optimistic, as science writing disappears.