Ed Yong: "Adapting to the new ecosystem of science journalism".
While the internet gives informed specialists a voice, it also simultaneously magnifies the presence of the worst kind of journalism - the cutting and pasting of unchecked and unevaluated material. ... Meanwhile, sites like ScienceDaily, Eurekalert and Physorg provide the pretence of journalism while actually acting as staging grounds for PR.
Tangentially related: Backreaction's future dystopia and utopia sketches in academia:
Since success becomes a matter of attention rather than quality, public outreach departments schmooze their way into major newspapers and magazines. Star scientists host talkshows and give public lectures in front of thousands of people with lots of technical finesse and no content.
"Dystopia" sounds too much like the present.
