Beware Of ‘Shark Week’: Scientists Watched 202 Episodes And Found Them Filled With Junk Science, Misinformation And White Male ‘Experts’ Named Mike
The Discovery Channel’s annual Shark Week is the longest-running cable television series in history, filling screens with sharky content every summer since 1988. It causes one of the largest temporary increases in U.S. viewers’ attention to any science or conservation topic.
It’s also the largest stage in marine biology, giving scientists who appear on it access to an audience of millions. Being featured by high-profile media outlets can help researchers attract attention and funding that can help super-charge their careers.
Hammerhead sharks schooling near Costa Rica’s Cocos Island. John Voo/Flickr, CC BY
Unfortunately, Shark Week is also a missed opportunity. As scientists and conservationists have long argued, it is a major source of misinformation and nonsense about sharks, the scient...