Steven Colbert has been in the news with the announcement that he is replacing David Letterman. A recent article by David Shiffman in Slate called
Stephen is the Best Science Source on TV argues that this could be bad for science. Colbert, argues Shiffman, provides better science coverage than anyone else on widely watched TV and that could change when he moves to CBS and has to interview mostly movie stars and other celebrities. The article says:
Stephen Colbert is one of the only news or faux-news anchors to
regularly cover scientific discoveries and interview scientists. “The Colbert Report
has certainly been one of the best television programs ever for
showcasing scientists—and I don't just mean ‘for a comedy talk show,’”
says science comedian Brian Malow. He points out that the guest who has
made the most appearances is Neil deGrasse Tyson. “More than any movie
star! And Tyson isn’t even the only physicist he’s featured!”
Among the other physicists Colbert has interviewed are Brian Greene, Michio Kaku, and Lawrence Krauss. He has hosted oceanographer Robert Ballard, neurophilosopher Patricia Churchland, surgeon Atul Gawande, and evolutionary biologist Neil Shubin as well as experts in science policy such as then–Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson and National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins. The online archive of interview guests includes separate categories for “academic,” “medical,” and “scientist.”
Note that while Colbert has featured a number of real scientists whose work involves chemistry, there are no chemists on the list.
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