Committee for Skeptical Inquiry

» Home » Contact CSI » Search:

You can help by making a tax-deductible donation!

Skeptical Inquirer

Skeptical Briefs

  • Join CSI as an associate member to receive the newsletter

CSI

Special Features

Web Columns

Center for Inquiry

Resources
CMI: Schedule, Reviews, Articles, Stock Fund, Media Contacts, Links
Home : Council for Media Integrity

Council for Media Integrity

An educational outreach and advocacy program of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP)

The Council for Media Integrity was founded in the summer of 1996 at the first World Skeptics Congress, held at the State University of New York at Buffalo. The Council is comprised of a network of distinguished international scientists, academics, and members of the media concerned with the balanced portrayal of science in the media. Members of the Council include E.O. Wilson, Martin Gardner, and Sir John Maddox.

Accomplishments of the Council to date include:

  • Establishing the "Candle in the Dark Award" to honor and publicize accurate and inspiring views of science in the media.

    1997:

    • Candle in the Dark Award: Bill Nye, PBS Television's Science Guy
    • Snuffed Candle Award: Dan Akroyd, for promotion of the paranormal on his pseudo-documentary Psi-Factor
    1998:
    • Candle in the Dark Award: PBS Television's Scientific American Frontiers
    • Snuffed Candle Award: Art Bell, radio talk-show host

  • Issuing an advisory, endorsed by Council members Paul Kurtz and entertainer Steve Allen, to U.S. newspapers asking them to print a disclaimer alongside horoscope columns. Currently, close to 70 papers have adopted this policy.

  • Assembling an email database of "media watchdogs" willing to exert grassroots pressure on media conglomerates in response to paranormal and pseudoscientific programming. (Email: sikevinc@aol.com to join)

  • Numerous op-ed submissions to newspapers by Council members advocating a more balanced portrayal of science by the media.

  • Creating a Media Stock Fund, an effort to acquire stock in large media conglomerates in a hope to leverage sound scientific programming.

Skeptical Inquirer, The Magazine for Science and Reason, has tirelessly advocated for balance and accuracy in the media. For instance, Eugene Emery, a science reporter with the Providence Journal, contributes regularly to SKEPTICAL INQUIRER's Media Watch. column. He also writes a yearly press release on failed psychic predictions that annually prompts numerous print articles and radio interviews. In the past, Emery has served as a speaker at the World Skeptics Congress and other national and international conferences.

In an era of tabloid news, pleas for accuracy and balance must become more insistent and pervasive. The Council for Media Integrity can actively promote the importance of scientific literacy, and the appreciation of the scientific method and critical thinking.

  • Schedule

    Check out our schedule of upcoming programs dealing with science and the paranormal.

  • Reviews

    Submit a review of a media show, book, or article.

  • Articles

    Read articles discussing media and its role with the paranormal.

  • CMI Stock Fund

    Read about the Council for Media Integrity's Media Stock Fund and how you can contribute.

  • Media Contacts

    Want to respond directly to a television show or newspaper article you've seen? Email the people in charge of your media and let them know what you think.

  • Links

    Visit web sites for other media-watchdog groups.


Coordinating Committee

Paul Kurtz, professor emeritus, SUNY at Buffalo, chairman, CSICOP

Joe Nickell, senior research fellow, CSICOP

Barry Karr, executive director, CSICOP

William Evans,prof. of communications Georgia State University

Matt Nisbet, coordinator, CMI

Members

Phillip Adams, TV / film producer

Alun Mark Anderson, editor, New Scientist

Stephen Barrett, M.D., psychiatrist, doctor

Susan J. Blackmore, psychologist, University of the West of England

Jim Bohannon, syndicated radio broadcaster

Barbara Lynn Eisenstadt, exec. dir., Creative Options

Kendrick Frazier, editor, Skeptical Inquirer

Martin Gardner, Science Writer

George Gerbner, prof. communications, University of Pennsylvania

Paul R. Gross, biologist, University of Virginia

Van Harvey, religious studies educator, Stanford University

Gerald Holton, physicist, Harvard University

Donald Johanson, Institute of Human Origins

Leonard Krishtalka, director, Natural History Museum, University of Kansas

Edwin C. Krupp, director, Griffith Observatory

Norman Levitt, professor of mathematics, Rutgers University

Jere Lipps, director, Museum of Paleontology, University of California at Berkeley

Sir John Maddox, editor emeritus, Nature

Gerald Piel, former president, AAAS; former publisher, Scientific American

John Rennie, editor-in-chief, Scientific American

Wallace Sampson, MD, professor of medicine, Stanford University

Amardeo Sarma, project supervisor, EURESCOM

David Schwimmer, paleontologist, Columbus College, Georgia

Eugenie C. Scott, anthropologist, Executive Director, National Center for Science Education, Inc., Berkeley, CA

E.O. Wilson, Harvard University

Content copyright by CSI or the respective copyright holders. Do not redistribute without obtaining permission.

Feedback | Reverse links for this page | Translate this page