Is the Discovery Channel reliable?

[Kebsis]

I see lots of interesting things on the Discovery Channel, and TLC, but I also see a lot of flat out bad science, like when they air shows about aliens and time travel and that type of stuff. I was wondering if that bad science is present at all in their more mainstream shows, and if I should take the things I see there with more of a grain of salt than I have been.

Thanks.

[Grey]

They do certainly show some good things. However, I'd consider that television is a medium devoted more toward capturing the attention of the audience than to providing factual information. Even for the channels dedicated to educational material, I'd consider a show on something that interested me more as a springboard for further research on my part than as anything else. Even some of the better shows I've seen will often portray theories that are held only by relatively few scientists as confirmed fact. :-?

[Russ]

I see lots of interesting things on the Discovery Channel, and TLC, but I also see a lot of flat out bad science, like when they air shows about aliens and time travel and that type of stuff. I was wondering if that bad science is present at all in their more mainstream shows, and if I should take the things I see there with more of a grain of salt than I have been.

Thanks.

They do reasonably well, IMHO. Like anyone else, even top scientiist, they get things wrong or fuzzy at times. As Grey pointed out they can even spew total junk at you.

Compared to most other channels, they do a fantastic job. Stations like TNT, TBS, Sci-Fi, et. al. ad infinitum, just pump out junk on a continuous basis. My advice, watch DC rather than the others but keep your skeptical thinking cap on.

[wedgebert]

My problem with the Discovery Channel is that they don't really tell you anything. In a given show they tend to barely scratch the surface about their topic and settle for explaining the same concept in different ways instead of going more in-depth.

I'm not asking for college level-depth from the shows, but at least don't let the lesson be summed up in two or three sentences.

[Byrd]

That's been one of my gripes, too -- I want something more than Science 101. They're good introductory courses, though.

[beskeptical]

I want access to more university channels. We get some good science lectures on the U of WA channels (they now have 2). Sometimes they even put on lectures from other universities. Trouble is, they've been showing the same science lectures for years.

There must be lots more out there. Does anyone else get a university channel and does it have any good science talks on it?

[Zeta04]

I am looking forward to the night about Mars which is coming up on Discovery Science

[Pinemarten]

I want access to more university channels. We get some good science lectures on the U of WA channels (they now have 2). Sometimes they even put on lectures from other universities. Trouble is, they've been showing the same science lectures for years.

There must be lots more out there. Does anyone else get a university channel and does it have any good science talks on it?

I have thought the same; and am considering finding a good 'text to speech' program, downloading informative text from the net , and having it read to me.
Would this solve?

[beskeptical]

I want access to more university channels. We get some good science lectures on the U of WA channels (they now have 2). Sometimes they even put on lectures from other universities. Trouble is, they've been showing the same science lectures for years.

There must be lots more out there. Does anyone else get a university channel and does it have any good science talks on it?

I have thought the same; and am considering finding a good 'text to speech' program, downloading informative text from the net , and having it read to me.
Would this solve?

Well, I get books on tape for in the car. There are lots of good non-fiction books on tape. Though I like travel adventures a tad more than Ferny's lectures.

But at home, I want the passive pictures to go with the text, even if it's a graph on the overhead. I want to get internet science shows and link my computer to the TV. I'm sure the technology is available. And, it'll probably be coming to a local store near me soon.

[Pinemarten]

So, you want to look at the pictures, eh? :wink:
I think that is why visual media is so lacking in depth.
"We paid for $@&# visuals and we are going to spend all our $@&# bucks on that!"