The disconnect between someone in a given professional field, familiar with the topics of discussion around the water cooler, and those who are on the outside, are fairly universal.
Electricians know about electrical wiring protocols, I do not.
Car mechanics know about engine hose manufacturer types, I do not.
However, the overarching field of science effects the quality of life of a very large section of western society; from medicine to computers, science helps us to both build tools, and how best to apply those tools.
Thus, the suppression of scientific data when it goes against a pre-determined political or social mindset, effects everyone one of us, inside or outside the profession.
It is therefore worry some that the normal divide between scientist and non-scientist extends to the stories about political pressure placed on scientists during the Bush Administrations 8-year tenure. Threats of firing, edited reports, and more, are both alleged and admitted to have occurred; and yet only a fraction of the general public is even aware of it!
http://people-press.org/report/?pageid=1549
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