Expert worship
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The term Expert worship encompasses the notion that views of certain highly respected or very well educated experts are more credible or newsworthy than others, often erroneously. Where there is just one acknowledged authority figure given credence, or only a single accepted perspective tolerated in working on a project, it may be difficult to find someone or some others from a separate school of thought harboring equivalent, counterbalancing expertise. Academia, politics, economics, science, medicine and even theology itself are prone to the consequences of having ivory tower hierarchies topped by established experts, which in turn frequently produce examples of expert worship.
Citizens and interest groups seeking to educate themselves often rely upon experts as a subsitute for their own lack of critical mental faculties. Anyone can become educated, and then teach and motivate others using their unique espertise, which in turn may give the self-styled expert a sense of superiority. In the extreme, the condition may border on the pathological, producing a condition sometimes referred to as a God complex.
Dangers of expert worship
While there is undoubtedly great value in expertise, the down side of becoming an authority arises when discussion devolves into blind acceptance of anything an expert imparts as wisdom, when followers become willing to keep an open mind, or to advance their own knowledge independently. Blind faith in the wisdom of experts can lead to man-made disasters, which otherwise could have been prevented.
Unbridled expert worship dampens critical perspective, sometimes leading to an inability to see potential dangers. When the expert worship phenomena renders a community of individuals unwilling or unable to question authority, the fallout is sometimes referred to as groupthink.
Effects on the media
Expert worship is a basic news value affecting all avenues of news reporting and commentary. Sometimes, efforts to seek a balanced perspective results in criticism that too much attention is being paid to mavericks or disgruntled dissidents, interviewed and quoted ad hominem simply to achieve the journalistic holy grail of fair and balanced coverage.