Abstract
The public is poorly served by the coverage of medical science in the general press. Scientists and physicians blame the press, claiming that journalists are careless in their reporting, subject to competitive pressures, and ignorant of the scientific process. Journalists accuse the medical community of limiting access to information and erecting barriers to the public dissemination of medical research. In many areas of health news reporting, the underlying problem is an interactive dynamic that involves scientists and journalists. Both parties share the responsibility for accurate communication to the public. This report suggests ways to improve health news reporting, focusing on four problem areas: sensationalism, biases and conflicts of interest, lack of follow-up, and stories that are not covered.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 976-982 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Annals of Internal Medicine |
| Volume | 126 |
| Issue number | 12 |
| State | Published - Jun 15 1997 |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Medicine(all)
Cite this
Medical scientists and health news reporting : A case of miscommunication. / Shuchman, Miriam; Wilkes, Michael S.
In: Annals of Internal Medicine, Vol. 126, No. 12, 15.06.1997, p. 976-982.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Medical scientists and health news reporting
T2 - A case of miscommunication
AU - Shuchman, Miriam
AU - Wilkes, Michael S
PY - 1997/6/15
Y1 - 1997/6/15
N2 - The public is poorly served by the coverage of medical science in the general press. Scientists and physicians blame the press, claiming that journalists are careless in their reporting, subject to competitive pressures, and ignorant of the scientific process. Journalists accuse the medical community of limiting access to information and erecting barriers to the public dissemination of medical research. In many areas of health news reporting, the underlying problem is an interactive dynamic that involves scientists and journalists. Both parties share the responsibility for accurate communication to the public. This report suggests ways to improve health news reporting, focusing on four problem areas: sensationalism, biases and conflicts of interest, lack of follow-up, and stories that are not covered.
AB - The public is poorly served by the coverage of medical science in the general press. Scientists and physicians blame the press, claiming that journalists are careless in their reporting, subject to competitive pressures, and ignorant of the scientific process. Journalists accuse the medical community of limiting access to information and erecting barriers to the public dissemination of medical research. In many areas of health news reporting, the underlying problem is an interactive dynamic that involves scientists and journalists. Both parties share the responsibility for accurate communication to the public. This report suggests ways to improve health news reporting, focusing on four problem areas: sensationalism, biases and conflicts of interest, lack of follow-up, and stories that are not covered.
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M3 - Article
C2 - 9182476
AN - SCOPUS:0030920036
VL - 126
SP - 976
EP - 982
JO - Annals of Internal Medicine
JF - Annals of Internal Medicine
SN - 0003-4819
IS - 12
ER -