Science writers should have some understanding of the field they're writing about, though. If they don't understand the scientific details and none of their do

Science writers should have some understanding of the field they're writing about, though. If they don't understand the scientific details and none of their domain expert contacts are able to help, they should at least able to recognize the difference between a peer-reviewed article and a blog entry. Spotting unverified claims doesn't require any science knowledge at all. <bracing myself for the downvotes> Don't be lame.