Scientists As Advocates
I contend that Scott Veggeberg's report on the Boston meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (The Scientist, March 22, 1993, page 1) misquotes me on two key points. He misses the essence of what I was trying to convey.
The point I was attempting to make in my talk was that journalists covering scientific disputes should treat with skepticim scientists who adopt advocacy positions that are not directly related to their own research.
I used a tongue-in-cheek rhetorical device I called a "blacklist" to distinguish those scientists who, in my mind, fall into this category. In retrospect, I regret the use of that term.
In any case, I did not include University of California, Berkeley, chemist Bruce Ames on my "blacklist," as Veggeberg reports. Instead, I specifically stated that Ames was "spared" being on the list because of his restraint in...
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