What happens next?  Someone skeptical notices, and puts a link to the poll on twitter or Facebook.  Other skeptics forward the link (it usually gets back to PZ at some stage) and we all go and vote to make sure the poll ends with the right answer*.  At the same time, other skeptics pipe up (not unreasonably) saying, well, it’s only an Internet poll.  The truth is not a democracy, it’s not really important, who cares if someone on the Internet is wrong, etc.

And the poll closes.  Sometimes with the right answer, sometimes not.

Today, giving evidence at the Leveson Inquiry, Rebekah Brooks said something interesting. Well, she said a few things interesting… but for the purposes of this blog post, the interesting part was (from memory):

We had a pretty good idea of what our readers’ views were. We had done a lot of polls.

Why is that interesting?

Well, because it seems to suggest that newspapers, at least on some issues, use the result of polls to gauge the views of their readers.  It seems to suggest that the outcome of these polls may influence the decision of the media to champion one side of the debate or the other.  It seems to suggest that if The Daily Ernest is persuaded by a poll that their readers are largely of the view that the Moon is made of cheese, they may not report so favourable on that unfashionable Rock Theory of the Moon in future.

Of course, I’m making some unfounded assumptions here. I’m assuming that the polls Ms Brooks mentioned included Internet polls. And I’m assuming that newspapers will sometimes adjust editorial policy to pander to the views of their established readership.

But it is something to think about.

* By “right” answer, I mean the one which best reflects reality based on the current data.

by Stephen Law

When: Thursday, May 17th, 2012 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Head of Steam, 7 Lime Street, Liverpool

Wacky belief systems abound.

Members of the Heavens Gate suicide cult believed they were taking a ride to heaven on board a UFO. Muslim suicide bombers expect to be greeted after death by 72 virgins. And many fundamentalist Christians insist the entire universe is just 6,000 years old. Of course its not only cults and religions that promote bizarre beliefs significant numbers of people believe that aliens built the pyramids. How do such preposterous views succeed in entrenching themselves in the minds of sane, intelligent, educated people and turn them into the willing slaves of claptrap?

Believing Bullshit is a witty and insightful critique that will help immunise readers against the wiles of cultists, religious and political zealots, conspiracy theorists, and various other nut-cases by clearly setting out the tricks of the trade by which such insidious belief systems are created and sustained.

ABOUT STEPHEN LAW

Stephen Law is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at Heythrop College, University of London. He has written several well-known introductions to philosophy, including the prize-winning The Philosophy Gym, and edits the Royal Institute of Philosophy journal THINK: Philosophy For Everyone.

His latest book is Believing Bullshit: How Not To Get Sucked Into An Intellectual Black Hole.

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by Ash Pryce

When: Thursday, April 19th, 2012 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Head of Steam, 7 Lime Street, Liverpool

Ash Pryce of the Edinburgh Skeptics Society presents a fully interactive demonstration of various tricks that psychics have used over the years.

From the Fox Sisters through to Uri Geller, psychics have been claiming to be able to do things beyond our understanding, but Ash Pryce knows better. Nearly all of the major claims of psychics and mediums can easily be re-created and tonight Ash will be reproducing such famous feats as Uri Geller’s Telekinesis, Filipino Psychic Surgery, the Remote Viewing experiments of America’s “Stargate” program (The 70s CIA shenanigans and not the inter dimensional, Goa’uld busting kind) and much more – including an attempt to beat the odds of the Randi Million.

A fun, entertaining and magic filled evening that also takes a look at the history of psychic trickery and how it has become such a popular phenomenon. Warning to those on the front row – there will be blood!

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Your host is Andy Wilson (@InKredulosi) of the Merseyside Skeptics Society.

Appearing in this episode are:

• David Aaronovich – Author, broadcaster, journalist and now QED 2012 speaker @DAaronovitch
• Michael Marshall – Marsh is member of Merseyside Skeptics, activist, podcaster etc. @MrMMarsh
• Dr*T of the Thinking Is Dangerous blog and many podcasts including Righteous Indignation @Dr_star_T
• Paul Zenon – Comedian and magician who performed on the saturday night at QED, then went for it again on InKredulous. @PaulZenon

You can contact the show at andy@inkredulous.org, and follow us on twitter @InKredulosi to get the early heads up on who will appear on the next show. As always, thanks for listening.

Also, in April, InKredulosi is off to India to raise some charity money with a ridiculous adventure. Click here to read about it and donate.

Remember to get your QED tickets! http://www.qedcon.org/