But her rapid rise, and the criticism she now faces, illustrate what can happen when academic research collides with the news business. It's not the first time TV, newspapers or magazines have catapulted a theory to prominence, then entertained debate on whether it deserved the attention it got. Think of what you've read about bran muffins or about how much exercise is healthy. Some media watchers say it's gotten nearly impossible for most Americans to tell, given the daily blur of experts and the way their work is condensed into 20-second sound bites. John Pavlik, a Columbia University journalism professor, said studies were being touted as major news even when the research hadn't been replicated.
Researchers are eager for the exposure so they can win grants and further their work.
The media, including an array of new Web sites and cable channels, are hungry for stories that strike home with the public. Last month, The New York Times reported a potential cancer cure atop its front page, then faced complaints that the developments weren't new and had appeared in a journal the year before. A reported breakthrough involving cold fusion gained international acclaim, only to fizzle when researchers could not replicate the results. The study he conducted while a Carnegie Mellon University undergraduate claimed widespread pornography interest among computer users. But a firestorm of complaints about its findings and methodology led to an investigation by the school and CMU ultimately decided to beef up its monitoring of future undergraduate research.