I wasn't old enough to have access to original journals (nor the ability to understand them) in the 1970s, but Science News was considered a trustworthy source,

I wasn't old enough to have access to original journals (nor the ability to understand them) in the 1970s, but Science News was considered a trustworthy source, as was Scientific American, for the layman. EDIT: Frondo's link (sibling comment) points out how Science News got it wrong.