In Australia,
there is
little awareness
of the substantial health hazards
associated with air pollution.
Probably the main reason
for the lack of awareness
is that media reporting
about scientific issues
is generally of low quality.
The ABC
(Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
is Australia's national broadcaster.
It has a generous
taxpayer-funded annual budget
of several billion dollars.
Much of the ABC's budget
is spent on
news and current affairs,
which means that the ABC
plays a substantial role
in shaping public opinion.
There is evidence
that the content
of ABC news reports
does not
always correlate well
with scientific facts.
The ABC's ability
to report accurately
about scientific issues
appears to be
not as good
as it could be.
Taxpayers deserve better.
See
"
How the ABC Distorts Science"
for information about
the unreliability
of the ABC's
scientific reporting.