Misinformation. Disinformation. Incomplete Information. Our world has become so complex it’s sometimes hard to discern fact from opinion.
A recent headline in the Working Waterfront said: “Media is Responsible for “eco anxiety”: There is no scientific consensus on climate change“.
The latter statement–”There is no scientific consensus on climate change”– is written as if it were fact. It’s not. It’s the opinion of a guest editorial writer. And it’s based on his misunderstanding of “scientific consensus”. The writer apparently believes that scientists come together and decide on a political point of view, creating a political consensus. This is not the case.
What scientists do is try to replicate results from earlier studies. If the hypothesis is that the atmosphere is warming at an accelerating rate, then multiple scientists conduct independent studies to try and prove this. In the case of the warming atmosphere, thousands of scientists have proven the hypothesis and concluded that the atmosphere is in fact, warming. This is not the personal or political opinion of scientists, but scientific consensus, based on the results of their studies.
I contacted the editor of Working Waterfront and suggested that the headline shouldn’t be stated as fact, because this confuses readers and spreads misinformation. The statement should be qualified by saying something like: “Reader questions scientific consensus on climate change.” He didn’t agree.
As the above example shows, both citizens and journalists are confusing facts and opinions these days. So its upon all of us to be more discerning. Next time you see or hear a strong statement, ask yourself: “Is this based on facts—proven either by scientific studies or by going to the source for details? Or is it an opinion?
Different opinions strengthen our democracy and we should encourage them. Opinions stated as if they are facts weaken our democracy by confusing people and building distrust about everything we hear. It is up to journalists and each of us to think about the origin of statements, and point out the difference between facts and opinions.