Commentary: Ignorance as Bias: Radiolab, Yellow Rain, and “The Fact of the Matter”.
Author(s):
Hillmer, Paul; Yang, Mary Ann
Format:
Journal article
Citation:
Hmong Studies Journal, Volume 18, (2017-01). pp. 1-13.
Language:
English
Abstract:
In 2012 the National Public Radio show “Radiolab” released a podcast (later broadcast on air) essentially asserting that Hmong victims of a suspected chemical agent known as “yellow rain” were ignorant of their surroundings and the facts, and were merely victims of exposure, dysentery, tainted water, and other natural causes. Relying heavily on the work of Dr. Matthew Meselson, Dr. Thomas Seeley, and former CIA officer Merle Pribbenow, Radiolab asserted that Hmong victims mistook bee droppings, defecated en masse from flying Asian honey bees, as “yellow rain.” They brought their foregone conclusions to an interview with Eng Yang, a self-described yellow rain survivor, and his niece, memoirist Kao Kalia Yang, who served as translator. The interview went horribly wrong when their dogged belief in the “bee dung hypothesis” was met with stiff and ultimately impassioned opposition. Radiolab’s confirmation bias led them to dismiss contradictory scientific evidence and mislead their audience. While the authors remain agnostic about the potential use of yellow rain in Southeast Asia, they believe the evidence shows that further study is needed before a final conclusion can be reached. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]