Balance vs. Fairness

I was always of the opinion that a good news article was one that had a point of view but at the same time, showed balance and presented both sides of the story so the reader could truly reflect on the issue at hand.  Chris Mooney, who wrote an article about the decline of science of in the news (which can be found here) said, "“Then there's the problem of "balance"--the idea that reporters must give roughly equal space to two different "sides" of a controversy. When applied to science, especially in politicized areas, this media norm becomes extremely problematic. Should journalists really grant equal time to the small band of scientists who deny the causal relationship between HIV and AIDS when the vast majority of researchers accept the connection between the two? Should they split column space between the few remaining global warming "skeptics" and scientific experts who affirm the phenomenon's human causation? Again, experienced science journalists will know best how to cover such stories and will be aware of the scientific community's very justifiable abhorrence or of unthinking "balance".  His piece and the discussions we've been having in class have made me reevaluate my view of balance as something necessary for scientific writing. 
I'm the type of person who, when presented with two differing views, will go do more research on that subject and try to get to the bottom of what I believe. Now that we know how little people truly spend on scientific literacy, I guess it's a little naive of me to think other people do the same.  Furthermore, if people do do the same, they may only research the side they instinctively connect with or believe which will reinforce misinformation.  It's a very dangerous fine line to tread.  
Dr. Edwards brought up a distinction that has shaped my new view - there is a difference between being balanced and being fair. I no longer believe it is necessary for science writers to present a balanced story when the majority of scientists and overwhelming scientific evidence supports one side; rather, I believe it necessary for science writers to be fair. 
Science writers have a lot to juggle already.  To be effective, their writing has to be novel, interesting, understandable, relevant and have impact in a very little space.  It would make their task even more difficult to present a balance story when one side of the story is largely irrelevant and only supported by a "small band of scientists" or skeptics. That being said, I don't think information that conflicts with the majority science should be completely dismissed.  Retractions in science occur often and there have been times where the majority belief has been replaced for a minority belief (the earth IS a sphere, not flat).  To be fair, it's still important to mention the conflict, no matter how the conflicting thought is.  It doesn't have to take much space or be presented with facts/evidence/data.  It could just be said "Despite overwhelming evidence of the causal relationship between HIV and AIDS, there are still a minority that deny it."  There's a point of view, there's support for the particular point of view, and conflict is presented so there's also something that gets people thinking. People may get curious, wonder why, and learn more about HIV and AIDs leading to an increase in scientific literacy. Boom. That's it.