Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Committed Science by Press Conference. Why?

By Steven B. Krivit
Dec. 22, 2022

Why did the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory commit “science by press conference”? Why did the lab grossly exaggerate so many things about the Dec. 5 result, as I explained in this video? Why did the lab rush to publicize its result before publishing a scientific paper, let alone submitting one?

“Science by Press Conference” From Wikipedia:

Science by press conference or science by press release is the practice by which scientists put an unusual focus on publicizing results of research in the media, in the form of press conference events or press release statements. The term is usually used disparagingly. It is intended to associate the target with people promoting scientific “findings” of questionable scientific merit who turn to the media for attention when they are unlikely to win the approval of the professional scientific community.

Premature publicity violates a cultural value of most of the scientific community, which is that findings should be subjected to independent review with a “thorough examination by the scientific community” before they are widely publicized. The standard practice is to publish a paper in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. This idea has many merits, including that the scientific community has a responsibility to conduct itself in a deliberative, non-attention seeking way; and that its members should be oriented more towards the pursuit of insight than fame. Science by press conference in its most egregious forms can be undertaken on behalf of an individual researcher seeking fame, a corporation seeking to sway public opinion or investor perception, or a political or ideological movement.

The Fusion Industry Association Gave the Answer Yesterday: