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Re: Junk Science Junk Telecast



On Sat, 11 Jan 1997, Raymond A. Rogoway wrote:

In my humble opinion ABC was guilty of almost everyone of the "sins"
that they were "exposing." Plus, the attitude of the reporter (a Geraldo
Rivera wanabee) was anything but "scientific."

Definitely. I thought it was going to be an intelligent analysis, but it
turned out to display style and ethics of the worst tabloids.

You noticed the hatchet job on Cold Fusion, with presentation of Pons and
Fleichman as con artists? Gene Mallove, an outspoken "CF" advocate says
that a researcher for ABC received material from him and from ENECO (a CF
company in Utah) explaining the Pro-CF side of the continuing controversy.
This researcher claimed that the show was to be about the suppression of
novel science by orthodoxy. I could understand that the "Junk Science"
show could present CF as they did because of shallow research. But their
research apparently was not shallow, so the end result is shameful.

One small part was unintentionally humorous. When the host was scoffing
at the fake technical language used in quack medicine, sound track
revealed that the person applying the "violet ray" device to the
gauze-wrapped woman's face was giving a *totally accurate* description
about ozone and electrode spacing!

The overall impression I received was not that I should fear "Junk
Science," but that ignorance and gutter ethics is not limited to the
tabloids, and that I should keep the TV unplugged and instead rely on the
library.

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