Monday, May 16, 2016

Journalistic False Balance and Naturopathy: The Globe and Mail Makes a Stand (bravo!)

here, a strong stance by a major Canadian news outlet, because sense and nonsense are not inherently equal:

001. we're told, by Sylvia Stead, in "Public Editor: No Reason to Give Equal Time to Naturopathy Believers" at theglobeandmail.com (2016-05-12):

"there’s a concept in journalism that is an exception to the normal practice of being balanced to all sides of an issue [...] balance is not needed when one side is discredited by science or medicine [...e.g.] it would be irresponsible to give equal say and credence to the anti-vaccine movement [...] to give equal say to those who deny climate change or those who suggest the moon landing was fake would be a false balance [...] in my view, the same is true for naturopathy [...] reporters and columnists are delving into the very real public-health issues of relying on supplements to the exclusion of medicine. They are not and should not see naturopathy and medicine treated as equal partners in health care. And there is absolutely no reason for them to give equal time to the other side. To do so would be a false balance and could endanger public health [...]";

hear, hear.  Balance can DISTORT objective truth.

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