Perhaps it was my recent time speaking at Michigan State and walking the halls of my alma mater that brought on this rant. Or maybe it’s constant exposure at airports to news that relies or sensationalism and fear. Then again, it could have been this excellent blog post by a former L.A. Times journalist that points to sloppy science and sloppier reporting.

What the heck has happened to our country? Mainstream media, apparently in a quest to retain their business models of yesteryear, finds the worst possible angle of any story in an attempt to attract readers/viewers/listeners. It seemingly doesn’t matter if there’s only one source, if it’s blatant opinion piece by a reporter (once seen on the op ed page) or if the “study” behind a story is valid – as long as they have “news” to get people worked up.

Just for the record, one of my degrees required that I take journalism classes. It was pounded into our heads that journalism is not about bias; a journalist’s job is to report all angles. I’m sure this won’t surprise you, but I was reprimanded more than once for inserting opinion into a piece. I also recall failing at least one journalism assignment because I did not follow the AP Style Book (which still sits in my office as a threat to the rules I now break on an hourly basis). I’ve talked with others holding Journalism degrees – and we wonder if those classes are no longer being taught? Or have journalistic ethics just been thrown out the window by the news industry?

It’s bad enough enough that poor writing is as common as texting, but do we really have to accept the lost art of journalism? Sensationalized opinion reporting seems to be more prevalent in the States, which also makes me question what’s wrong with our country’s standards. I don’t have the solution, aside from unsubscribing and using the off switch for media who employ these tactics.

Couple that with issues around society’s acceptance of science. Perhaps I’ve spent too much time on Twitter, but I suspect we are on a dangerous path that devalues science and overvalues opinion. It seems as though people either buy into any study that supports their opinion without question (case in point is the widely reported Harvard study that best selling author/former journalist Valdes calls sloppy) – or they completely distrust science. If we can’t trust science, then where does that leave us?

I spent five years working in the Reproductive Physiology Laboratory at Michigan State, with glamorous jobs such as washing thousands of pieces of lab glassware, processing mammary glands and giving cows boluses in the middle of the night. Though I was only an undergraduate grunt worker, I took part in rBST, melatonin and many other dairy/beef trials. It gave me a firsthand appreciation for the level of detail that studies require, how dedicated scientists are to their research and the very finite process involved in research in order for it to receive government/regulatory approval.

Claiming that most scientists sway studies based upon funding sources is ridiculous to me. Sure, there are bad apple scientists, just as there are poor teachers, parents, farmers and doctors. But doesn’t a scientist ultimately fail in their profession if they lack the ethics to conduct real science? Thus, the value of peer-reviewed science – and taking time to be diligent in checking how research weighs against popular opinion.

What you eat is your choice. Do your diet as you wish – meat or no meat. I simply ask your decisions be based on sound science, not junk journalism. Please be aware of articles stilted one way and get answers from experts. A journalist using shoddy science as their singular source to push opinion isn’t an expert – nor is a celebrity who became a food diva or the top result on Google. Experts can be found in the scientists researching inputs, farmers producing raw products, the processor making it into food and Registered Dietitians who have studied how it impacts human nutrition.

Now can someone please explain why we’re so willing to buy into sensationalized “news” while throwing science under the bus? I’d love to hear your ideas; I fear the outcome is an opinion-driven society that is either numbed into submission or overreacts to every claim.