This will post will be straight and to the point. All media outlets must be held accountable for the information that they present to the public. It is not acceptable to make a scientific claim without providing a source – especially when that claim effects large populations. A retraction does not reverse the damage done from the initial spread of misinformation. Knowingly creating a false headline – then quietly retracting it weeks later – is a unethical lawyer’s trick. Once the proverbial jury has seen inadmissible evidence, it can’t be unseen, thus the damage has been done. So what source is acceptable?
The source must not be another media outlet. For example, a newspaper or network television station is not a scientific authority and citing them – as evidence of a scientific claim – is unacceptable. Scientific claims must be backed by evidence-based peer reviewed research to be considered reliable. Simply repeating something over and over is not science; it is propaganda.
After research has been accepted for review, further scrutiny is required (see the link titled: Research Primer). Until this level of research literacy is observed by all media outlets and press, we will continue to suffer from the hysteria and division caused by misinformation. Further, if the media is beyond our control, we must educate each other and our future generations, so that they may objectively traverse the new landscape of technology driven information and politically driven media.