It Ain't Necessarily So How the Media Remake Our Picture of Reality

Name: It Ain't Necessarily So How the Media Remake Our Picture of Reality
Price: 4.64 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9780142001462

ISBN-10: 0142001465

ISBN-13: 9780142001462

Edition: 2002

Authors: David Murray, Joel Schwartz, S. Robert Lichter, S. Robert Lichter

List price: $24.00

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Description:

Anthrax scares. Airplane crashes. The AIDS epidemic. Presidential election polls and voting results. Global warming. All these news stories require scientific savvy, first to report, and then-for the average person-to understand. It Ain't Necessarily Socuts through the confusion and inaccuracies surrounding media reporting of scientific studies, surveys, and statistics. Whether the problem is bad science, media politics, or a simple lack of information or knowledge, this book gives news consumers the tools to penetrate the hype and dig out the facts. "Whether it's a scientific study on day care or health care, hunger in America or the environment, once it gets into the hands of…

Book details

List price: $24.00
Copyright year: 2002
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date: 9/24/2002
Binding: Paperback
Pages: 288
Size: 5.50" wide x 8.00" long x 0.70" tall
Weight: 0.550
Language: English

David Murray is the director of research at the Statistical Assessment Service (STATS). He has written articles for dozens of publications, including the "Wall Street Journal", "Washington Post", "Christian Science Monitor", & "Roll Call" & has appeared on various shows on the History Channel, CNN, NBC, ABC, & NPR. He lives in the Washington, DC metro area.

Joel Schwartz is affiliated with the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) & is the author of several books. He lives in the Washington, DC metro area.

S. Robert Lichter is co-director of the nonpartisan Center for Media & Public Affairs (CMPA) & co-author of over 10 books, including "Peepshow". Lichter frequently appears on FOX News & Radio America. He lives in the Washington, DC, metro area.



Prologue


Introduction Making News and Making Sense: The News That's "Fit to Print"



The Ambiguity of News



The News That isn't There: Stories That Are--and Aren't--Covered



Much Ado About Little: Making News Mountains out of Research Molehills



The Ambiguity of Measurement



Bait and Switch: Understanding "Tomato" Statistics



The Perils of Proxies: Is There a There There?



Is the Glass Half Empty or Half Full? A Look at Statistics from Both Sides Now



Polls Apart: The Gertrude Stein Approach to Making Sense of Contradictory Surveys



The Reality and Rhetoric of Risk: Telling It Like It Is--and Isn't



Distinguishing "Reports" from Reality: Confusing the Map with the Territory



The Ambiguity of Explanation



Blaming the Messenger, Ignoring the Message: Do Motives Matter?



Tunnel Vision and Blind Spots: The Danger of Hedgehog Interpretations


Conclusion: Hard to Tell: Journalism, Science, and Public Policy--An Inherent Conflict?


Afterword: The Anthrax Feeding Frenzy


Notes


Bibliography


Index