国家地理:用吐槽的方式谈科学效果更好(5)

Late-night humor may be particularly effective at debunking scientific misconceptions because it avoids triggering the backlash that traditional science communication efforts can elicit. And late-night humor can spark science engagement as well. A national survey by researchers Lauren Feldman, Anthony Leiserowitz, and Edward Maibach found that watching satirical comedy programs went hand in hand with paying more attention to science stories. Furthermore, the researchers concluded that satirical shows had the biggest impact among the least educated viewers, thereby helping to narrow a gap in attention to science.

深夜幽默可能对于揭露科学上的错误观念方面特别有效，因为它避免了传统科学传播可能引起的强烈反响。深夜秀也可以激发公众对科学参与度。研究人员劳伦·费尔德曼、安东尼·莱丝洛威茨和爱德华·梅巴克进行的一项全国调查发现，观看讽刺喜剧节目与更加关注科学故事可以同步发展。此外，研究人员得出的结论是，讽刺节目在文化程度最低的观众中影响最大，从而缩小了关注科学人群的差距。

Though late-night satirical humor can boost science interest and awareness, it has its limits. Science is complex, and conveying that complexity in a few minutes while cracking jokes can be a challenge.

尽管深夜讽刺幽默秀可以提高科学兴趣和意识，但其自身有局限性。科学是复杂的，在开玩笑的几分钟内灌输这种复杂性可能会是一个大挑战。

At its best, late-night satire encourages viewers not only to follow science but also to think critically about it. An episode of Last Week Tonight made that point with a poke at how news outlets cover scientific studies. Host John Oliver warned against "thinking that science is à la carte and if you don't like one study, don't worry, another will be along soon." He ridiculed media coverage of science that oversimplifies and sensationalizes findings, misuses statistics, and cherry-picks results. And he parodied such presentations with his own brand of "TODD talks" -- for Trends, Observations, and Dangerous Drivel.

最好的情况是，深夜讽刺秀鼓励观众不仅了解科学，还要学会思辨。《上周今夜秀》中的一集通过对新闻媒体报道科学研究的方式进行抨击，从而说明了这一点。主持人约翰·奥利弗警告称，“把科学想作按菜单点菜，如果您不喜欢一项研究，请不要担心，很快就会有另一项研究。”他嘲讽媒体对科学的报道过分简化，同时夸大了研究结果、滥用统计数据，并择优挑选结果。他还在自己的TODD演讲（T代表潮流，O代表观察评论，DD代表危险的胡话）中模仿了这些报告。

The members of his audience may be laughing, but they seem to be learning as well.

他的观众可能一边在笑，一边也在学习。