Lifecycle of a Science Story in 21st Century American Media, starring SETI …
1: The Report
Scientists at SETI report an unexplainable radio signal, which would be caused by any number of phenomena. Given their focus, SETI would like to know if one of those is alien life, but also note that it could be a natural occurrence, or have an explanation related to an unknown natural cause outside of intelligent life.
2: The First Story from a Media Outlet
OMG YOU GUYS! THESE BRAINIACS MAY HAVE FOUND ALIENS!
3. The Enthusiastic Response from Regular People
DID YOU READ THIS STORY OMG YOU GUYS WE MAY HAVE FOUND ALIENS!
4. The Signal Boost in many Media Outlets
The story gets repeated everywhere, slightly tweaked, but the essential message remains OMG YOU GUYS! THESE BRAINIACS MAY HAVE FOUND ALIENS! This is to help drive traffic to media outlets that want to ride the sweet, sweet advertising wave caused by The Enthusiastic Response from Regular People …
5. The Skeptical Response from Regular People
As more people learn about the story, people grow skeptical, and hedge. “It might NOT be aliens.” “Why didn’t the scientists MENTION that it could be sunspots?” “These stories are always fake.”
6. The Skeptical Editorials from Media Outlets
OMG YOU GUYS? WHY DO YOU BELIEVE THIS HYPE? YOU CAN’T TRUST WHAT SCIENTISTS ARE SAYING THEY ARE ALWAYS CHANGING THEIR MINDS.
7. The Backlash from Regular People
Skeptics find and spread the Skeptical editorials, creating a second sweet, sweet advertising wave. This wave is smaller than the first by a factor of 1/3 – 1/2.
8. The Second Story from a Media Outlet
OMG YOU GUYS THOSE SCIENTISTS TRICKED US IT’S NOT ALIENS.
9. The Diminished Returns …
People read the follow-up, then the waves diminish with each revelation.
10. The Diminished Return II: The Retrospective
A small percentage of people are still interested in the story, so, a handful of media outlets devote a small amount of time to ask questions like, “How do stories like this get hyped?”
Maybe 1/10,000th of the original wave engages this story, which may or may not include that general media is not great at science reporting.
11. There is no step 11, at this point, go back to the top, but choose a new scientific subject!