In no small measure, the epidemic of paranormal beliefs--beliefs beyond the range of scien

tific explanation--is due to the rapid emergence of the mass media on a global scale. These media have virtually replaced the schools, colleges and universities as the chief conveyors of information. The days of the lone scientist conducting research in the lab or of the isolated scholar writing a paper or book for a limited audience have been bypassed. Today new ideas are popularized--whether half or fully baked--and they are broadcast far and wide even if they have not been sufficiently tested. Apparently the chief interests of most media corporations are entertainment rather than information, profit rather than truth, selling products rather than contributing to the sum of human knowledge. Accordingly, paranormal ideas are pandered to a gullible public and the line between fiction and reality is blurred. The public is often confronted with sensational accounts of hidden realms, and pseudoscience is mistaken for genuine existence. Even reputable publishers prefer to publish books touting paranormal claims rather than dispassionate scientific critiques. Why is it that of the thousands of proastrology, pro-psychic, or pro-UFO books published, very few are sceptical7 "They don't sell," is the response of the hallelujah choir within the publishing industry--a sad commentary on our times.

The skeptics thus have a vital role to play: to educate the public about the nature of science and to attempt to persuade media producers and directors that they have some responsibility to develop an appreciation for scientific rationality. One of the roles of CSICOP is to challenge the views of pseudoscience pouring forth daily from the media. It is clear that we cannot operate within the cloistered confines of the academy, but need to enter into the public arena. In monitoring the media, we surely have not sought to center producers or publishers; we only wish for some balance on their part in presenting paranormal claims, and for some role for scepticism about theses claims. Largely because of the media, large sectors of public opinion simply assume that psychic powers are real, that it is possible to modify material objects merely by the mind, that psychics can help detectives solve mysteries, and that we can abandon the clinical tests of medical science and heal patients by miraculous means. The number of paranormal, occult, and sci-fi television programs is increasing. Our objection is that "docudramas" are not labelled as fictionalized accounts but touted as fact. In regard to the many talk shows that constantly deal with paranormal topics, the skeptical viewpoint is rarely heard; and when it is permitted to be expressed, it is usually sandbagged by the host or other guests.

It can be inferred from the text that most people who have no doubts about paranormal phenomena are probably ______.

A．ignorant of what life really is

B．enthusiastic about mass media

C．inclined to believe things readily

D．fond of psychic powers themselves