False Promises SIRC has long campaigned for more accurate and balanced reporting of health and science issues. We have paid special attention to the sensational scaremongering in which many of our national newspapers engage.
Fear sells - and newspaper editors know that.
But they leave their readers confused and induce many unnecessary and irrational anxieties. The Los Angeles Times has brought this into sharp focus with two articles written by David Shaw - the first Medical Miracles or Misguided Media , and the second Medical Journals Exercise Clout in News Coverage . Both should be compulsory reading for all journalists engaged in communicating science and health matters to the public. The second article should also be placed on the desk of every journal editor as a reminder of the special responsibilities they have for setting a fair and balanced agenda for the media to follow. Shaw provides us with an incisive analysis of where the media fail in their duty to inform - to provide readers with unbiased access to the knowledge which they need in order to make informed decisions about how they choose to lead their lives and how they treat their bodies.