Reviews for Embargoed Science

The average rating for Embargoed Science based on 2 reviews is 2 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2016-10-15 00:00:00 Karen Duchaj OK the book is a decade old now at the point at which I write this review, which might seem an eternity in this fast paced media world. However it still has some useful things to say about how the use of embargoes in science focused media relations, particularly in explaining the history of how that evolved. The author clearly is no fan of embargoes, and he presents several very cogent arguments as to how they could be damaging to the coverage and public understanding of science. However he has little to suggest as to what we might replace the embargo system with other than an absolute free for all. The use of embargoes clearly has its problem but I am not sure if a free for all would be much better. One key problem for the arguments presented is that the author tries to stick to the line that science journos are best left in unconstrained competition with each other, but then he lapses into assertions about the public service of the media forgetting that in fact they are mostly driven by profits, readership numbers, and audience figures, and not necessarily the public good. The book brings us little further on embargoes than Churchill's famous quote that "Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others." The use of embargoes may indeed be the worst system for conducting science media - except for all the others.

Review # 2 was written on 2016-02-01 00:00:00 Beau Bridges The Boys on the Bus for 2004? Not quite, but the same idea. Pelosi does a pretty damn good job documenting the insanity of the 2004 presidential primary. Read it if you're a political nerd or otherwise interested in finding out what life on a modern presidential campaign consists of, and how these candidates of ours effectively morph into carictures over time.