Critical Thinking in the Classroom: Boeing, Objective Media Coverage, and the Safety of Flying

ScIC "Science is Cool" Unplugged

Teaching students how to interpret headlines and media sensationalism. Join PBS correspondent Mile's Obrien as he discusses this current event with host Dave Bakker and special guest, Clifton Roozeboom. The conversation revolves around the topic of airline safety, specifically focusing on the recent issues with Boeing's 737 Max 9. The hosts discuss the sensationalism in the news media and the importance of critical thinking when consuming information. They emphasize the need to seek out primary sources and trusted experts to filter out biased or misleading information. The concept of risk and reward is also explored, highlighting the need to assess risks in a meaningful way. The conversation concludes with a lighthearted discussion about the future of flying cars.

Learn more about Miles on his website: https://milesobrien.com/

Connect with Miles on Twitter at https://twitter.com/milesobrien

Watch Mile's conference session from Science is Cool 8: https://www.thepocketlab.com/video/scic8/miles-obrien

ABOUT MILES

Miles O’Brien is a veteran, award-winning journalist who focuses on science, technology, aerospace, and the environment.

He is the science correspondent for PBS NewsHour, a producer and director for the PBS science documentary series NOVA, and a correspondent for the PBS documentary series FRONTLINE and the National Science Foundation Science Nation series.

For nearly seventeen of his thirty-two years in the news business, he worked for CNN as the science, environment and aerospace correspondent and the anchor of various programs, including American Morning.

While at CNN, he secured a deal with NASA to become the first journalist to fly on the space shuttle. The project ended with the loss of Columbia and her crew in 2003 – a story he told to the world in a critically acclaimed sixteen-hour marathon of live coverage.

Prior to joining CNN, he worked as a reporter at television stations in Boston, Tampa, Albany, NY and St. Joseph, MO. He began his television career as a desk assistant at WRC-TV in Washington, DC.

O’Brien is an accomplished pilot and is frequently called upon to explain the world of aviation to a mass audience. He has won numerous awards over the years, including a half-dozen Emmys, and a Peabody and DuPont for his coverage of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.

In February of 2014, a heavy equipment case fell on his forearm while he was on assignment. He developed Acute Compartment Syndrome, which necessitated the emergency amputation of his left arm above the elbow.

Born in Detroit and raised in Grosse Pointe Farms, MI, he is based in Washington, DC. He has a son at the US Naval Academy and a daughter at Davidson College in North Carolina. He was a history major at Georgetown University.