Expert shopping
Encyclopedia
Expert shopping is the practice of finding an expert on a given subject whose professional opinion is skewed toward the answer that the searching party already prefers. This is commonplace in the news media
, politics, and business
, though can be found in all walks of life.
Another well-known use is in lawsuit
s, when an expert witness
can be paid to testify in favor of one side of the case. In this case, the expert witnesses on each side may have totally different opinions. Explicitly, this qualifies as perjury
, but in practice it is difficult to prove, particularly when the expert's testimony is not considered abhorrent by his or her colleagues. They are thus inclined to allow him his scholarly opinion with reservation, instead of formally contesting it.
News media
The news media are those elements of the mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public.These include print media , broadcast news , and more recently the Internet .-Etymology:A medium is a carrier of something...
, politics, and business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
, though can be found in all walks of life.
Another well-known use is in lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
s, when an expert witness
Expert witness
An expert witness, professional witness or judicial expert is a witness, who by virtue of education, training, skill, or experience, is believed to have expertise and specialised knowledge in a particular subject beyond that of the average person, sufficient that others may officially and legally...
can be paid to testify in favor of one side of the case. In this case, the expert witnesses on each side may have totally different opinions. Explicitly, this qualifies as perjury
Perjury
Perjury, also known as forswearing, is the willful act of swearing a false oath or affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to a judicial proceeding. That is, the witness falsely promises to tell the truth about matters which affect the outcome of the...
, but in practice it is difficult to prove, particularly when the expert's testimony is not considered abhorrent by his or her colleagues. They are thus inclined to allow him his scholarly opinion with reservation, instead of formally contesting it.