Diane’s farewell message
After 52 years at WAMU, Diane Rehm says goodbye.
UN Climate Wall at COP 15, Copenhagen.
We live in an age in which science and technology pervade our lives like never before. Yet, over the last several years Americans have become increasingly skeptical of scientific findings, especially when it comes to hot button issues like climate change, vaccines and genetically modified food. In a recent survey of U.S. scientists, only half said it is a good time for science. Some blame politics. They argue that research is being held hostage by ideology. Others say the growing complexity of our world makes us cling to our beliefs, even when confronted with evidence that demonstrates the contrary. Why many Americans doubt science and how scientists can better communicate their findings.
Guests
- Kathleen Hall Jamieson Professor of communication at the Annenberg School for Communication and the director of the Annenberg Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, home of factcheck.org's SciCheck which flags misuses of science in political debates
- Joel Achenbach Science reporter at The Washington Post and author of National Geographic magazine's March cover story, "The War on Science."
- Dr. Marcia McNutt Editor-in-chief of the journal Science and former director of the U.S. Geologic Survey
Photos: Rejecting Scientific Evidence
Photos: The Age of Disbelief
It's an old but troubling phenomenon: Many of us reject the evidence that scientists painstakingly compile.
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