Do both sides of an argument deserve equal time and space in media? Photo/Thinkstock
The debate comes up, every so often, in journalism circles, about whether both sides of an argument deserve equal time, weight and column centimetres.
This happens particularly with "scientific" arguments, notably climate change, 1080 pest control, vaccinations, genetic modification and fluoridation in our drinking supply.
The sides who are sceptical
about the "mainstream" scientific side will often demand the basic journalistic model, which is to seek balance in a robust debate. They will frequently hold up, as examples where the mainstream was wrong, the astronomer and "heretic" Gallileo, or the past media and establishment support of now-discredited Dr Andrew Wakefield and his linking of the MMR vaccination to autism.
What sceptics also need to realise is that scientists are frequently debunking and disproving established norms. They do it all the time. They exist for the thrill of discovering something new.
The "appeal to authority" logical fallacy, using a qualified person to endorse your claims, is a common way of trying to get credibility.
