Yes. There are. It’s just that we don’t promote them the same way.
Julie Belluz has a great piece in Vox today about Dr. Oz. It’s long, it’s detailed, and it’s worth your time. It’s her last paragraph that caught my eye, though:
There are not enough people speaking out against faulty science in health — what Caulfield calls the “slow drift toward a faith-based approach.” As a gifted researcher and doctor, and a charismatic communicator, Oz had the potential to be a voice of reason in this moment of confusion. Instead, he’s leading America adrift.
I disagree. There are lots of people. The media just doesn’t highlight or promote them the same way.
The Food Babe gets a NYT profile. So does Dr. Oz. I bet if I searched, I could find one for Jenny McCarthy. There are many, many huge, long form pieces at other sites on these people, too. There are very few such profiles for those who try and defend science.
Why? There’s no money in it. Nor fame. Following science means no get-rich-quick-schemes. It means no false promises. It means telling people things they often don’t want to hear.
Still, lots of people choose that route. Lots of people write accurately about science and how we need to stick close to findings. They’re never considered visionaries. They don’t make the lists of most important people (even for health). They don’t get celebrated in the same way.
I’m not writing this because I’m bitter, or because I want to be famous. I’m absolutely thrilled with what we’ve got here at TIE, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the platforms I have from which to speak and write. I just wish that more in the media would recognize that there are amazing science and health experts out there, and that they would spend as much time writing about and promoting them as they do the people they know are doing it poorly.
