There’s a small but growing contingent of researchers/VPR offices pushing for academics to write a small “for the public” press release with their publications. I like this direction.

To be fair...

None of that is good journalism, nevermind good science journalism. Bad journalism is the problem here, not bad science.

Unfortunately, regulating journalism would result in abuse and tyranny (eventually) as it removes the effectiveness of the fourth estate as a check against the government's power. But damn -- wouldn't it be nice if journalists (and their editors) were required to at least have knowledge of the domains they cover.