&quot;Any observed statistical regularity will tend to collapse once pressure is placed upon it for control purposes.&quot;
- Goodhart&#x27;s Law<p>Awarding scientists for publishing works -- whether or not they&#x27;ve passed rigor -- is the mistake.<p>The monetary system for awarding grants is completely broken. Nobody wants to admit they have their hand in the cookie jar for fear of having the lid slammed down on their hand. Universities take a cut of the grant money to subsidize their staff payroll. Professors gain notoriety and a significant increase in income when their published work leads to being awarded a grant. Industry&#x2F;NGOs have their own financial incentives to &#x27;influence&#x27; scientific reporting that favors their own bias&#x27;. Nobody calls attention to the corruption because... Woohoo! Free money!<p>I find it <i>very</i> difficult to trust any of the scientific reporting related to current affairs and&#x2F;or politics. The incentives for &#x27;bad actors&#x27; who commit intellectual dishonesty are too high.