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Dissertation on Dr. John Mack and "the role of the media in the social construction of scientific authority" published by Linda Billings, Ph.D.
Updated! Radio interview with Dr Linda Billings now available online; see end of article
January 2006
An examination of how the mass media regarded the late Harvard professor of psychiatry John E. Mack, M.D., during his study of alien encounters has been published in dissertation form (and may later be published in revised book form).
Linda Billings, Ph.D., Doctor of Philosophy at the School of Journalism, Indiana University, observes that "In describing his research into the alien-abduction phenomenon, Harvard Medical School psychiatrist John Mack suggested that the conventional paradigm may be inadequate."
"The boundaries of science and scientific authority were tested in this case, and journalists played a role in the boundary-work." Press accounts of Mack's work with purported "experiencers" of alien contact illustrate journalists' participation in the social construction of scientific authority.
Bilings’ dissertation "is intended to be thought provoking [and] to enrich the ongoing examination of the cultural roles of science and journalism."
It is also a riveting account of the most infamous part of Dr. Mack’s professional career, and a meticulously documented examination of how Dr. Mack’s most controversial work debuted in the context of a popular backlash against the field of psychiatry itself.
The complete 8 chapter, 200+ page dissertation is available from ProQuest/UMI (a dissertation publication service), at
disspub@umi.com
or 800-521-0600 x7020.
One can also order via their website, however their website is nearly impossible to navigate - we suggest calling for best results.
The manuscript number (needed for ordering) is INDIANA1201, and the title (intentionally sensationalistic) is “Sex! Aliens! Harvard? Rhetorical Boundary-Work in the Media: A Case Study of the Role of Journalists in the Social Construction of Scientific Authority”
An excerpt is available at the following weblink:
www.lindabillings.homestead.com/LB_Disertation.pdf
Dr. Billings intends to rewrite/edit the dissertation to make it into a viable book for general audiences, as well. Interested publishers are encouraged to contact the author (contact information available within the excerpt)
Linda Billings, Ph.D., is a Doctor of Philosophy at the School of Journalism, Indiana University. She is a research associate with the SETI Institute. She has been conducting science and risk communication studies for NASA’s Planetary Protection Office since September 2002. Dr. Billings earned her B.A. in social sciences from the State University of New York at Binghamton and her M.A. in international transactions from George Mason University. She has worked for more than 25 years in Washington, D.C., as a journalist, freelance writer, and consultant to the government. As a journalist, she covered energy, environment, labor relations, and aerospace, primarily for the trade press. She received a Media Award from the Washington Space Business Roundtable in 1988. She is currently a member of the NASA Advisory Council's Advisory Subcommittee on Research and Technology.
UPDATE: A related interview is now available
Audio Martini with host Rick Wood
http://www.audiomartini.com/
The Association for Skeptical Enquiry Presents Dr. Linda Billings
What constitutes real science or pseudo-science? Who gets to decide?Dr. Linda Billings, a Washington-based research associate with the SETI Institute, discusses her in-depth examination of John Mack's treatment in the media and the social construction of science.
Download the show at
www.audiomartini.com
Although the host of the show misrepresents both Dr. Mack's beliefs and the alien encounter experience itself, the program is a passable introduction to Dr. Billings' dissertation.
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