Inaccuracy in reporting astronomy and science Options

[As old as Voyage...]

I have just watched the BBC's report on the newly created 3D map of dark matter using Hubble data; and it made my heart sink.

I applaud the BBC for giving airtime to such discoveries, but for such a respected organisation their research was awful.

It's no wonder the vast majority of people are either bewildered or disinterested the the universe as a whole when the facts they are given are completely wrong.

It's a shame that tonight 60 million or so people in the UK and many other people around the world were told Hubble shone a beam of light out into the depths of the universe and studied how it was bent by the gravity of dark matter billions of light years away!

And this was a report from the BBCs science correspondant!

I remain downhearted that perhaps the most important story of the week was reported in such a shoddy manner.

Does anyone else feel space is being let down by TV coverage?

[nprev]

"C: It's not just a good idea, it's the law!" (An oldie but a goodie...)

I wonder how much the lines have blurred between TV & movie space operas (did not say 'science fiction', because so few actual SF shows have ever been made, IMHO) and reality in the eyes of many people in the general public. Reason I ask is that I've met many people over the years that are surprised to learn that we haven't had a manned Mars landing yet, and seem to take for granted that people are zooming all over the Solar System, if not the Galaxy. (Amazing, but true!) One of the main questions I get is whether the MERs or Cassini are manned...

The depressing flip side to that is why aren't these people clamoring to sign up for the next flight out? God knows I would be if I thought that space travel was easy and routine.