more on Junk Science Awards...

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Rod Van Meter <rdv () tera ics keio ac jp>
Date: December 7, 2004 7:58:00 PM EST
To: dave () farber net
Cc: Jim Warren <jwarren () well com>
Subject: Re: [IP] Junk Science Awards...
Reply-To: rdv () tera ics keio ac jp

For IP, if you wish...

Steve Milloy, the man behind JunkScience.com, is an adjunct scholar at
the Cato Institute, and a commentator for Fox.  This does not make him
automatically wrong about any individual point; indeed, some of the
possible ethical conflicts he discusses seem particularly relevant, and
he's often right about anti-science hysteria on e.g. cell phones.
However, it is well worth noting that there is a strong bias in the
topics he chooses to highlight.

He is a strong opponent of almost any form of regulation.  No
opportunity to criticize the science behind mercury or arsenic poisoning
or artificial estrogens disrupting biosystems is passed up, though any
supporting science he can't think of a way to criticize goes
unmentioned.

Most especially, he is a skeptic of global warming, both whether it is
happening at all and whether humans are at fault.  He will cite, for
example, that 2003 was a cold year in Japan, after a several-year
warming trend, but 2004 having broken numerous records will pass
unremarked.  The IPCC and the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment come in
for particularly strong criticism.  On his page of links, you won't find
a single one supporting global warming, but a dozen or so dissing it
(many supported directly by the fossil fuels industry).

His definition of "junk science" seems to include whatever he doesn't
like; he is not in particular after scientific fraud (e.g., Schon at
Bell Labs, who seems to have totally escaped Milloy's attention) or
faith healers/dietary supplements and the like.  He seems to have a
particular dislike of the J. American Medical Association, the CDC, and
researchers from Harvard.  Harvard appears 187 times in a search of his
site.

By all means, read his stuff; I do.  He cloaks himself in the rhetoric
of skeptics such as James Randi.  I would suggest that applying a
healthy dose of skepticism to Milloy's own rantings is appropriate.

                --Rod


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