You know the type.
"Scientists have released a study showing coffee improves your sex life."
"Can eating more chocolate help you lose weight?"
"Scientists say red wine is better for you than a workout!"
These "Science" stories on local news and -- as Oliver singles out -- The Today Show, are the subject of Last Week Tonight's latest rant. Turns out these "studies" are actually press releases from scientists who are under tremendous pressure to get published. The "studies" are hardly ever peer-reviewed or replicated because there is no incentive for any scientist to prove someone else's findings.
And of course on-air producers of news "content" are more than happy to put "scientific" buzz words on the air to keep chatty hosts talking about chocolate, sex, and weight loss.
Oliver does a great job of passing out the shame-on-you cards to everyone involved.
PS. Keep an ear out for one of the "Ted-ish Talk" scientists played by H. Jon Benjamin, the voice of Archer on FX.
