It Ain’t Necessarily So: How the Media Remake Our Picture of Reality

Anthrax scares. Airplane crashes. The AIDS epidemic. Presidential election polls and voting results. Global warming. All these news stories require scientific savvy, first to report, and then-for the average person-to understand. It Ain’t Necessarily So cuts through the confusion and inaccuracies surrounding media reporting of scientific studies, surveys, and statistics. Whether the problem is bad science, media politics, or a simple lack of information or knowledge, this book gives news consumers the tools to penetrate the hype and dig out the facts.

＂Whether it’s a scientific study on day care or health care, hunger in America or the environment, once it gets into the hands of journalists - look out! You may think you’re getting the straight story - but it ain’t necessarily so, as this aptly named book makes clear. But beware: It Ain’t Necessarily So may confirm your worst fears about the media. Which is precisely why it’s such an important contribution to our understanding of how things really operate inside the American newsroom.＂ (Bernard Goldberg, author of Bias)

David Murray is director of the Statistical Assessment Service in Washington, D.C., and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University.

Joel Schwartz is senior adjunct fellow at the Hudson Institute.

S. Robert Lichter is president of the Center for Media and Public Affairs in Washington, D.C.