Coverage by the News Media of the Benefits and Risks of Medications

Moynihan, Ray; Bero, Lisa; Ross‐Degnan, Dennis; Henry, David; Lee, Kirby; Watkins, Judy; Mah, Connie; Soumerai, Stephen B.

doi:10.1056/nejm200006013422206

Cited by 445 publications

(372 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Some of this is likely due the exaggeration of the benefits and risks of genetics research and health information (Loo et al 1998;Moynihan et al 2000;Ransohoff and Ransohoff 2001). Students are clearly getting significant quantities of information from the Internet (most student essays referenced stories from a variety of different websites, but not from scientific references); students often rely on their teachers for ultimate validation of their information through discussions and grading.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Essay Contest Reveals Misconceptions of High School Students in Genetics Content

et al. 2008

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Essay Contest Reveals Misconceptions of High School Students in Genetics Content

et al. 2008

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“…Health researchers note that media campaigns can facilitate significant changes in health behaviour and health services utilization (Grilli et al 2004;Snyder et al 2004). Health researchers have also established that news coverage of therapeutic risks and benefits can be inaccurate or incomplete, raising concerns that media can encourage inappropriate changes in behaviour and services utilization (Moynihan et al 2000;Cassels et al 2003). Consequently, many health researchers suggest interventions to make news coverage less "sensational" and more "evidence-based," for example, by training journalists in the critical appraisal of research evidence (e.g., Oxman et al 1993;Larsson et al 2003;Moynihan 2003;Schwartz and Woloshin 2004).…”

Section: Résumémentioning

confidence: 99%

Joining the Conversation: Newspaper Journalists' Views on Working with Researchers

Waddell

Lomas²,

Lavis³

et al. 2005

hcpol

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For health researchers who seek more research use in policy making to improve health and healthcare, working with the news media may represent an opportunity, given the media' s pivotal role in public policy agenda-setting. Much literature on science and health journalism assumes a normative stance, focusing on improving the accuracy of news coverage. In this study, we investigated journalists' perspectives and experiences. We were particularly interested in learning how health researchers could work constructively with journalists as a means to increase research use in policy making. Qualitative methods were used to conduct and analyze interviews with experienced newspaper journalists across Canada, with children' s mental health as a content example. In response, study participants emphasized journalistic processes more than the content of news coverage, whether children' s mental health or other topics. Instead, they focused on what they thought researchers needed to know about journalists' roles, practices and views on working with researchers.Newspaper journalists balance business and social responsibilities according to their respective roles as editors, columnists and reporters. In practice, journalists must ensure newsworthiness, relevance to readers and access to sources in a context of daily deadlines. As generalists, journalists rely on researchers to be expert interpreters, although they find many researchers unavailable or unable to communicate with public audiences. While journalists are skeptical about such common organizational communications tools as news releases, they welcome the uncommon contributions of those researchers who cultivate relationships and invest time to synthesize and communicate research evidence on an ongoing basis. Some appealed for more researchers to join them in participating in public conversations. We conclude that there are opportunities for policy-oriented health researchers to work constructively with newspaper journalists -by appreciating journalists' perspectives and by taking seriously some of their suggestions for engaging in public conversations -and that such engagement can be a means to increase the use of research evidence in policy making and thereby improve health and healthcare. T RésuméPour les chercheurs en santé qui veulent promouvoir une utilisation accrue des résul-tats de recherche dans l' élaboration des politiques afin d' améliorer la santé et les soins de santé, travailler avec les médias peut permettre d' atteindre cet objectif, étant donné le rôle crucial que jouent les médias dans l' établissement des politiques publiques. Une bonne partie du journalisme scientifique et axé sur la santé est de nature normative et met l' accent sur l' amélioration des nouvelles présentées. Dans cette étude, nous explorons les points de vue et les expériences des journalistes. Nous voulions surtout découvrir comment les chercheurs en santé pouvaient travailler de manière constructive avec les journalistes en vue d' accroître l'utilisation des résultats de...

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“…opinion leaders and leading researchers to increase the authority and veracity of their reports of health-related research and products, it is well established that academia itself increasingly forms ties with industry (Campbell & Zinner, 2010;Zinner, Bjankovic, Clarridge, Blumenthal, & Campbell, 2009) and the commercial ties of the researchers and research organisations upon whom journalists rely for their "expert" opinions are rarely established or made explicit (Moynihan et al, 2000). As a result, the public reading or viewing the news may have little knowledge of these relationships and their potential influence on the content of information being presented.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health Journalists' Perceptions of Their Professional Roles and Responsibilities for Ensuring the Veracity of Reports of Health Research

Forsyth

Morrell

Lipworth

et al. 2012

Journal of Mass Media Ethics

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Coverage by the News Media of the Benefits and Risks of Medications

Cited by 445 publications

References 34 publications

Essay Contest Reveals Misconceptions of High School Students in Genetics Content

Essay Contest Reveals Misconceptions of High School Students in Genetics Content

Joining the Conversation: Newspaper Journalists' Views on Working with Researchers

Health Journalists' Perceptions of Their Professional Roles and Responsibilities for Ensuring the Veracity of Reports of Health Research

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