Jeff Stier

I've long thought there was something amiss about how news outlets seem almost hyper-focused on reporting any potential conflicts of interest. Not that there's anything wrong with identifying those conflicts, but I think their importance is often over-played to the detriment of getting to the crux of issues. (more)

The CIA’s use of a fake vaccination program to help find Osama bin Laden is a stain on an otherwise remarkable operation. (more)

It is no secret that the government wants to change how we live. Nanny-state officials want people to exercise more, stop drinking soda and stop using tobacco. But few people are familiar with an Obama administration program that gives grants to activist organizations that support unpopular nanny-state laws. (more)

If you’ve looked at online, print or broadcast news in the past 48 hours, you’ve probably seen coverage of the President’s Cancer Panel report that hypes potential environmental causes of cancer. To not notice alarming headlines like, “Cancers from Environment ‘Grossly Underestimated,’” “Americans Bombarded with Cancer Causes,” and “‘Grievous Harm’ Posed by Unchecked Chemicals,” it would take a stock market crash, an attempted terrorist attack in Times Square, and a huge oil spill, all in the same week. (more)

While there may be a few valid illness claims buried among the 10,000 or so cases in the big “9/11 lawsuit” now approaching trial, the overwhelming majority clearly relies on junk science. Sadly, there’s a whole industry set up to supply that junk—funded by lawyers eager to fuel such lawsuits, staffed by researchers eager to push bizarre theories, and promoted by ignorant reporters and politicians. (more)

Studies published in peer-reviewed journals become the basis for everything from the advice your doctor gives you to the very laws that govern us. A journal’s ability to tell good science from bad is critical. But some journals have used poor judgment, and even replaced judgment with a bias of their own. (more)