Thursday, February 3, 2011

Global Warming Reporting - Research in connection with THE GREAT IMMENSITY

Every winter, it seems the continued existence of snow reinvigorates global warming skeptics, or at least reminds the mainstream media of their existence. The Washington Post felt compelled to preface their coverage of recent findings on the effects of melting polar ice caps with a paragraph disclaimer about that week's weather; USA Today included an opposing POV from the libertarian Cato Institute in their article about 2010 being tied for the hottest year in recorded history.

Does this vocal fringe movement deserve a continued voice? Is journalistic neutrality more important than the scientific truth? Did the recent blizzards make even you doubt global warming a little, and are you familiar with the recency effect? According to Wiki, it is the tendency
"to recall items that were at the end of a list rather than items that were in the middle of a list" and is also compatible with the peak-end rule. Here is a website where you can test your own susceptibility to the effect!

Post by Laura Shapiro

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