> When you see a report of an interesting study, contact the authors and push them with hard questions: not just “Can you elaborate on the importance of this re

> When you see a report of an interesting study, contact the authors and push them with hard questions: not just “Can you elaborate on the importance of this result?” but also “How might this result be criticized?”, “What’s the shakiest thing you’re claiming?”, “Who are the people who won’t be convinced by this paper?”, etc. That's a nice set questions, unnervingly disarming! Versatile too - it would be interesting to see some journalists use a similar line of enquiry with pronouncers of political policy.