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Bad advice : or why celebrities, politicians, and activists aren't your best source of health information  Cover Image Book Book

Bad advice : or why celebrities, politicians, and activists aren't your best source of health information / Paul A. Offit, M.D.

Offit, Paul A. (Author).

Summary:

Scientists are often unable to package their insights into the neat narratives that the public requires. Enter celebrities, advocates, lobbyists-- people taking advantage of scientists' reluctance to provide easy answers, flooding the media with misleading or incorrect claims about health risks. Offit shares hard-earned wisdom on the dos and don'ts of battling misinformation. He discusses the manias stoked by charlatans and their miracle cures, as well as corrosive, dangerous ideologies such as Holocaust and climate-change denial. -- adapted from jacket

Record details

  • ISBN: 9780231186988
  • ISBN: 0231186983
  • Physical Description: xiv, 251 pages ; 24 cm
  • Publisher: New York : Columbia University Press, [2018]

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:
Includes bibliographical references (pages 217-238) and index.
Formatted Contents Note:
Prologue: On being naïve -- What science is -- and what it isn't -- White mice and windowless rooms -- An alibi for ignorance -- Feeding the beast -- To debate or not to debate -- Make 'em laugh -- Science goes to the movies -- The Emperor's new clothes -- Judgment Day -- The nuclear option -- Pharma shill -- A ray of hope -- Epilogue: The end of the tour.
Subject: Communication in public health.
Communication in medicine.
Health in mass media.
Disinformation.
Quacks and quackery.
Health Communication.
Communications Media.

Available copies

  • 1 of 1 copy available at Kirtland Community College.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Kirtland Community College Library RA 423.2 .O34 2018 30775305543093 General Collection Available -

Syndetic Solutions - Summary for ISBN Number 9780231186988
Bad Advice : Or Why Celebrities, Politicians, and Activists Aren't Your Best Source of Health Information
Bad Advice : Or Why Celebrities, Politicians, and Activists Aren't Your Best Source of Health Information
by Offit, Paul
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Summary

Bad Advice : Or Why Celebrities, Politicians, and Activists Aren't Your Best Source of Health Information


Science doesn't speak for itself. Neck-deep in work that can be messy and confounding and naïve in the ways of public communication, scientists are often unable to package their insights into the neat narratives that the public requires. Enter celebrities, advocates, lobbyists, and the funders behind them, who take advantage of scientists' reluctance to provide easy answers, flooding the media with misleading or incorrect claims about health risks. Amid this onslaught of spurious information, Americans are more confused than ever about what's good for them and what isn't. In Bad Advice , Paul A. Offit shares hard-earned wisdom on the dos and don'ts of battling misinformation. For the past twenty years, Offit has been on the front lines in the fight for sound science and public heath. Stepping into the media spotlight as few scientists have done--such as being one of the first to speak out against conspiracy theories linking vaccines to autism--he found himself in the crosshairs of powerful groups intent on promoting pseudoscience. Bad Advice discusses science and its adversaries: not just the manias stoked by slick charlatans and their miracle cures but also corrosive, dangerous ideologies such as Holocaust and climate-change denial. Written with wit and passion, Offit's often humorous guide to taking on quack experts and self-appointed activists is a must-read for any American disturbed by the uptick in politicized attacks on science.

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