Cosmic journalism
When NASA scientists saw the first images from the Webb Space Telescope, they were so blown away they realized they should let the president show them to the world. When journalists saw the first images, they were so blown away they dug deep into their supply of superlatives. Consumers were treated to words like "splendor" and "stunning" in story after story. Personally, I cannot get enough of stories that use the word "behold ." Because for me, the words create the context I need in order to marvel. NPR did not disappoint.
But not everyone appreciated the poetic waxing. A few skeptical news consumers questioned the images. It takes a lot of science to translate the information gathered by the Webb Telescope into something the human eye can see and comprehend.
How much information should reporters include about the process that transforms the data collected by the telescope and the process NASA uses to translate that data into visual images? If that
