“Balanced” Reporting

The cartoon here describes the essence of the conversation my mom and I have, when, for instance, anti-vaxxers show up on Fox News.  Mom asks me, “Don’t any of these commentators have credentials you respect?”

My reply is that the vast majority of epidemiologists are telling us that vaccines are safe and effective, and, to the degree that there is noncompliance, COVID-19 will be that much more lethal, and will cripple our society for that much longer.  The fact that Fox News can find one guy with an MD degree who stands opposed to this broad consensus does not change anything.

Obviously, the case is the same with climate change.  I know there are a few climate deniers with PhDs, and I don’t doubt that Fox News can find one to interview on camera.  But the vast majority of those who honestly and objectively study this subject hold valid the theory of anthropogenic global warming.