Countering pseudoscience and quackery in the media – a journalist’s moral dilemma

What are the moral responsibilities of the media to report news accurately, fairly, independently and, thus, being accountable to their readers, listeners and viewers? Furthermore, what moral responsibility do journalists have regarding science news and the overwhelming presence of pseudoscientific thinking and quackery, as often reflected in news reports and advertising? This research study and presentation investigate and scrutinise the moral responsibility of journalists and the media to expose quackery and dubious pseudoscientific practices in society, what Pigliucci (2010) calls ‘nonsense on stilts’.