Skeptical Inquirer THI MAG At IN I ID« SCIENCE AND MASON EDITOR Kendrick Frazier EDITORIAL BOARD Adventures in the Broadcast Jungle James E. Alcock Barry Beyerstein 've been doing some radio shows lately. No big deal. I've done them before. But one Martin Gardner Ray Hyman I recent experience was, I think, symbolic of too much of what's gone wrong with the Lawrence Jones broadcast media—and much else—today. Philip J. Klass The ostensible topic of these interviews is the latest anthology of SKEPTICAL Paul Kurtz Joe Nickell INQUIRER articles. The book is Encounters with the Paranormal: Science, Knowledge, and Lee Nisbet Belief, and it was published in April by Prometheus Books (see New Books, this issue, Amardeo Sarma page 53). Forty-five authors, including the late Carl Sagan, Man in Gardner, two Nobel Bela Scheiber Eugenie Scott laureates, and a host of other distinguished figures in science and skepticism, con­ CONSULTING EDITORS tributed to the book. But my name is on the cover as Editor, so I get the calls. Robert A. Baker Susan J. Blackmore One request came from a radio station in a major American city. I'll not be more John R. Cole specific. The producer who called seemed normal, and a date and time was set. Kenneth L. Feder I knew I was in trouble before the show even started. After they call they put you C. E. M. Hansel E. C Krupp on hold for a few minutes until time for your segment, and you can hear the show in Scott 0. Lilienfeld progress. It had "Madness" in the title, and that wasn't a misnomer. The three hosts— David F. Marks two men and a woman—were shock-jocks. Their stock in trade, apparently, is insults. James E. Oberg Robert Sheaffer The atmosphere is drunken college party {Animal House variety). I heard the three of David E. Thomas them mocking and laughing maniacally about actor Christopher Reeve's paralysis. Richard Wiseman Then the lead host began referring repeatedly to some woman (a previous guest?) as a MANAGING EDITOR whore. Then they asked a caller his drink preference of the morning (it was 9:05 a.m., Benjamin Radford and they didn't mean nonalcoholic). All this is accompanied with great whooping and ART DIRECTOR Chris Kolasny hollering. Not a good sign. PRODUCTION Kristen Kowalski With no intro or civilities, the host then opened with just the challenging, "Ken Paul Loynes Frazier, editor of Encounters with the Paranormal, do you believe in the paranormal?" CARTOONIST As you might realize, without any context or explanation, that's a tough question to Rob Pudim start with. I tried to say that we urge that belief be based on evidence. He would have WEB PAGE DESIGNER none of it. He interrupted me. I tried again. "You're avoiding the question!" Patrick Fitzgerald 1 tried to give die book's subtitle—my original preference for the title and reflec­ PUBLISHER'S REPRESENTATIVE tive of our emphasis on science. He countered that he knew the subtitle and asked if I Barry Karr CORPORATE COUNSEL knew the subtitle on a Miller beer bottle. Brenton N. VerPloeg What little he let me say he didn't like. To one attempted answer he sneered, "Are ASSISTANT BUSINESS MANAGER you wearing a dress?" (1 think this is another way of asking "What planet are you Sandra Lesniak from?" but I'm not sure.) The one substantive question in our brief encounter was FISCAL OFFICER "Why has there been such a rise in Satanic ritual abuse cases?" When I tried to answer Diana Picciano CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER that such reports are frequently exaggerated, both men jumped on me and said they James Kimberly themselves had seen these altars and ritual murder scenes with decapitated babies, and ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT so on. They made it plain they considered me a fool for having any doubts. Anthony C. Battaglia CHIEF DATA OFFICER The whole thing ended abruptly. They asked the usual, "Have you found anything Richard Seymour that's real?" I decided to answer facetiously that the unanswered mystery that puzzles FULFILLMENT MANAGER me most is what happens to the socks I put in the dryer. They cut me off. Michael Gone Now don't worry about me. I've been in this business for years. I know the score. STAFF Elizabeth Begley But the experience is emblematic of the cultural state in which people who care about Allison Cossitt science—indeed who care about any important issues—must frequently work. Kevin Dean Linda Heller But I'm a natural optimist. A few days later I was on another radio show. This one Matthew Nisbet was on a nationwide network of 55 stations. The host was pleasant, asked good ques­ Paul Paulin tions, allowed me to make my points and complete my thoughts, seemed genuinely Alfreds Pidgeon Etienne Rios interested in science, and even laughed at some of my stories. (The one above wasn't Ranjit Sandhu among them). Our segment was supposed to last 30 minutes, but halfway into it he Amy Schneider asked if 1 could stay 15 minutes longer. This one went well. So, yes, it can be a jungle Sharon Sikora Vance Vigrass out there, explaining science to the public. The good news is you're not always eaten. Dana Walpole INQUIRY MEDIA PRODUCTIONS Thomas Flynn DIRECTOR OF LIBRARIES Timothy S. Binga The SKEPTICAL INQUIRER is the official journal of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, an international organization. 4 July/August 1998 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER .