But the leaking of the HRT research to the Sunday Times took place several days before the release of the embargoed paper. The notion that sanctions could be applied against journalists for showing enterprise will merely add gripe water to those who are too lazy to communicate their work well. The serious matter was the distortion of the findings of the research. Allegedly the journalist misunderstood the conclusions. That is astonishing for someone who has been reporting medicine for the best part of five years.
British journalism is second to none in flair and verve.
This must be retained as the profession reinvents itself to play a role in 21st century methods of communication. But there is also, even among so-called quality publications, a cavalier attitude to facts and statistics that reflects poorly on recruitment and training practices. The danger of this new medium is not that information, rumour and opinion is too free but that it might be too tightly controlled. If independent media fail to make the transition, only official sources will retain credibility with readers. That is why Englemed does not subscribe to the Health on the Net principles.