Still my favorite segment about why it's a bad idea to participate in bad-faith "debates" about science. They only result in further amplifying disinformation.
"People still think this issue is open to debate, because on TV it is. It's always one person for one person against. When you look at the screen, it's 50/50, which is inherently misleading."
— @iamjohnoliver
It's the drama that gets bums on seats.
If these "debate" shows had any credibility they'd be reporting the scientific consensus. But, they're interested in ratings not informing the viewers. Or if the TV shows have industry backers (e.g., the advertising industry) they're selling ideas to their consumer audience. Mitigating climate change would put many industries out of business.
Similar to the advertising algorithms used on corporately owned social networking sites.
The common denominator is the profit incentive, not the fact (evidence) incentive.
