How the Media Influences the Public Perception of Science
Sometimes careless science publishing can weaken the public’s confidence in science and the government. The Media is enormously powerful and leading and will influence people’s opinions on everything. There are plenty of stories in the media that will change the public’s perception of science or even make them see a new perception. Sometimes these stories are just written to scare the public into believing a certain thing just so they can sell their stories.
Stories sometimes are true and sometimes they are false but it is up to the public to believe in what is right and what is wrong. In this day and age, where information is available at the touch of a mouse, it’s not surprising that the media is a particularly dominant and powerful force in our civilization. Research has shown that the newspapers are the public’s primary source of information on scientific issues.
Bird flu is a type of flu normally found in birds. Infected birds shed influenza virus in their saliva, nasal secretions, and faeces. Susceptible birds become infected when they have contact with contaminated excretions or with surfaces that are contaminated with excretions or secretions. Although bird flu viruses do not usually infect humans, more than 100 confirmed cases of human infection with bird flu viruses have occurred since 1997. Most cases of bird flu infection in humans have resulted from direct or close contact with infected poultry (domesticated chickens, ducks, and turkeys) or with surfaces contaminated with secretions and excretions from infected birds. The spread of bird flu viruses from an ill person to another person has been reported only rarely, and transmission has not been observed to continue beyond one person.
On the 6th of April 2006, there was a scare regarding the bird flu virus, a swan was found dead in a village in Scotland. Officials from Scotland started testing the swan for bird flu and later on that week it was confirmed that the swan did die of bird flu.
Stories sometimes are true and sometimes they are false but it is up to the public to believe in what is right and what is wrong. In this day and age, where information is available at the touch of a mouse, it’s not surprising that the media is a particularly dominant and powerful force in our civilization. Research has shown that the newspapers are the public’s primary source of information on scientific issues.
Bird flu is a type of flu normally found in birds. Infected birds shed influenza virus in their saliva, nasal secretions, and faeces. Susceptible birds become infected when they have contact with contaminated excretions or with surfaces that are contaminated with excretions or secretions. Although bird flu viruses do not usually infect humans, more than 100 confirmed cases of human infection with bird flu viruses have occurred since 1997. Most cases of bird flu infection in humans have resulted from direct or close contact with infected poultry (domesticated chickens, ducks, and turkeys) or with surfaces contaminated with secretions and excretions from infected birds. The spread of bird flu viruses from an ill person to another person has been reported only rarely, and transmission has not been observed to continue beyond one person.
On the 6th of April 2006, there was a scare regarding the bird flu virus, a swan was found dead in a village in Scotland. Officials from Scotland started testing the swan for bird flu and later on that week it was confirmed that the swan did die of bird flu.
Bibliography: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2006/apr/06/health.birdflu3?INTCMP=SRCH http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/43916/Deadly-strain-confirmed.html Both of these were used in 01/02/12 Class notes, Peter Ellis 2012