The Media Matter: A Call for Straightforward Medical Reporting
Authors: Lisa M. Schwartz, Steven Woloshin
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2004)

Editorials3 February 2004The Media Matter: A Call for Straightforward Medical ReportingLisa M. Schwartz, MD, MS and Steven Woloshin, MD, MSLisa M. Schwartz, MD, MSFrom VA Outcomes Group, White River Junction, VT 05009. and Steven Woloshin, MD, MSFrom VA Outcomes Group, White River Junction, VT 05009.Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-140-3-200402030-00015 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Believe nothing that you see in the newspapers … if you see anything in them that you know is true, begin to doubt it at once.–Sir William Osler (1)While many physicians may share Osler's sentiments about the sometimes sloppy and sensationalized press coverage of health care, doctors and researchers have real reasons to help journalists do their job well. The public pays attention to health in the media—over half of U.S. adults report that they follow health news closely; only community events and crime get more attention (2). Thus, the press is well positioned to educate the public about ...References1. Bean WB, ed. Sir William Osler: aphorisms from his bedside teachings and writings. Accessed at www.vh.org/adult/provider/history/osler/1.html# on 22 December 2003. Google Scholar2. Kovach B, Rosenstiel T, Mitchell A. A first step to change: a commentary on the findings. Committee of Concerned Journalists and Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. Accessed at www.journalism.org/resources/research/reports/surveycomment.asp on 22 December 2003. Google Scholar3. Haas JS, Kaplan CP, Gerstenberger EP, Kerlikowske K. Changes in the use of postmenopausal hormone therapy after the publication of clinical trial results. Ann Intern Med. 2004;140:184-8. LinkGoogle Scholar4. Rossouw JE, Anderson GL, Prentice RL, LaCroix AZ, Kooperberg C, Stefanick ML, et al . Risks and benefits of estrogen plus progestin in healthy postmenopausal women: principal results from the Women's Health Initiative randomized, controlled trial. JAMA. 2002;288:321-33. [PMID: 12117397] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Lawton B, Rose S, McLeod D, Dowell A. Changes in use of hormone replacement therapy after the report from the Women's Health Initiative: cross sectional survey of users. BMJ. 2003;327:845-6. [PMID: 14551101] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. Grilli R, Ramsay C, Minozzi S. Mass media interventions: effects on health services utilisation. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2002;:CD000389. [PMID: 11869574] MedlineGoogle Scholar7. Sharma V, Dowd MD, Swanson DS, Slaughter AJ, Simon SD. Influence of the news media on diagnostic testing in the emergency department. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2003;157:257-60. [PMID: 12622675] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8. Phillips DP, Kanter EJ, Bednarczyk B, Tastad PL. Importance of the lay press in the transmission of medical knowledge to the scientific community. N Engl J Med. 1991;325:1180-3. [PMID: 1891034] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar9. Cassels A, Hughes MA, Cole C, Mintzes B, Lexchin J, McCormack JP. Drugs in the news: an analysis of Canadian newspaper coverage of new prescription drugs. CMAJ. 2003;168:1133-7. [PMID: 12719316] MedlineGoogle Scholar10. Moynihan R, Bero L, Ross-Degnan D, Henry D, Lee K, Watkins J, et al . Coverage by the news media of the benefits and risks of medications. N Engl J Med. 2000;342:1645-50. [PMID: 10833211] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar11. Rowe G, Frewer L, Sjoberg L. Newspaper reporting of hazards in the UK and Sweden. Public Underst Sci. 2000;9:59-78. [PMID: 11624282] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar12. Schwartz LM, Woloshin S, Baczek L. Media coverage of scientific meetings: too much, too soon? JAMA. 2002;287:2859-63. [PMID: 12038934] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar13. Moynihan R, Soumerai S, Fletcher R, et al. Tipsheet for reporting on drugs, devices and medical technologies. Accessed at www.cmwf.org/journalists/index.asp?link=11 on 22 December 2003. Google Scholar14. Naylor CD, Chen E, Strauss B. Measured enthusiasm: does the method of reporting trial results alter perceptions of therapeutic effectiveness? Ann Intern Med. 1992;117:916-21. [PMID: 1443954] LinkGoogle Scholar15. Woloshin S, Schwartz L. Press releases: translating research into news. JAMA. 2002;287:2856-8. [PMID: 12038933] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From VA Outcomes Group, White River Junction, VT 05009.Note: Drs. Woloshin and Schwartz contributed equally to the creation of this manuscript; the order of their names is arbitrary.Disclaimer: The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of the Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States government.Acknowledgment: The authors thank H. Gilbert Welch, MD, MPH, and John Birkmeyer, MD, for their helpful comments on earlier drafts of this editorial.Grant Support: Drs. Woloshin and Schwartz are supported by Veterans Affairs Career Development Awards in Health Services Research and Development and by Robert Wood Johnson Generalist Faculty Scholar Awards. This work was supported in part by the National Cancer Institute (CA91052-01) and by a Research Enhancement Award from the Department of Veterans Affairs to investigate the harms from excessive medical care.Disclosures:Honoraria: L.M. Schwartz, S. Woloshin (National Institutes of Health); Other: L.M. Schwartz, S. Woloshin (Knight Foundation).Corresponding Author: Steven Woloshin, MD, MS, VA Outcomes Group (111B), Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, White River Junction, VT 05009. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoChanges in the Use of Postmenopausal Hormone Therapy after the Publication of Clinical Trial Results Jennifer S. Haas , Celia P. Kaplan , Eric P. Gerstenberger , and Karla Kerlikowske Metrics Cited ByIs the press properly presenting the epidemiological data on COVID-19? An analysis of newspapers from 25 countriesPersonalized Cancer Medicine in the Media: Sensationalism or Realistic Reporting?Global Media Coverage of the Benefits and Harms of Early Detection TestsJournalists' views on media coverage of medical tests and overdiagnosis: a qualitative studyThe level of evidence, scientific impact and social impact of clinical studies in periodontology: A methodological studyMedia coverage of drug regulatory agencies' safety advisories: A case study of citalopram and denosumabMaking headlines: an analysis of US government-funded cancer research mentioned in online mediaScientific Quality of Health-Related Articles in Specialty Cannabis and General Newspapers in San FranciscoMass media representations of the evidence as a possible deterrent to recommending exercise for the treatment of depression: Lessons five years after the extraordinary case of TREAD-UKCausal interpretation of correlational studies – Analysis of medical news on the website of the official journal for German physiciansUsing the media's tweets to broaden previous conceptualizations of political travel risksAssessing U.S. Health Journalists' Beliefs About Medical Overtreatment and the Impact of Related News CoverageFactors associated with online media attention to research: a cohort study of articles evaluating cancer treatmentsReading between the lines: questionable medical and journalistic ethics in Israeli newspaper coverage of medicationsCommunicating Uncertain Science to the Public: How Amount and Source of Uncertainty Impact Fatalism, Backlash, and OverloadExaggerations and Caveats in Press Releases and Health-Related Science NewsThe Woman's Health Initiative and one of many unintended consequencesTestosterone therapy in men with testosterone deficiency: are the benefits and cardiovascular risks real or imagined?Inaccurate dissemination of the MAVIDOS trial resultsMedia Coverage, Journal Press Releases and Editorials Associated with Randomized and Observational Studies in High-Impact Medical Journals: A Cohort StudyHealth Care JournalismPress Releases Issued by Supplements Industry Organisations and Non-Industry Organisations in Response to Publication of Clinical Research Findings: A Case-Control StudyMedia Coverage of Medical Journals: Do the Best Articles Make the News?Opinion editorials: the science and art of combining evidence with opinionUpdated 2013 International Menopause Society recommendations on menopausal hormone therapy and preventive strategies for midlife healthPowerless Language in Health Media: The Influence of Biological Sex and Magazine Type on Health LanguageRepresentation of intersex in news media: the case of Kathleen WorrallNewspapers' coverage of contaminated intravenous fluids from an Indian manufacturer distributed by Public Central Medical Supplies in Sudan: Lessons to be learnedUpdated IMS recommendations on postmenopausal hormone therapy and preventive strategies for midlife healthIncluding Limitations in News Coverage of Cancer Research: Effects of News Hedging on Fatalism, Medical Skepticism, Patient Trust, and BacklashPress coverage of hormone replacement therapy and menopausePersuading young consumers to make healthy nutritional decisionsThe breast cancer "plunge" after initial publication of the WHI results: An alternative explanationGetting Cancer Research Into the News: A Communication Case Study Centered on One U.S. Comprehensive Cancer CenterCommunicating Science: Press Releases at EHPThe changing face of service quality in the New Zealand public health sectorCancer Communication: Status and Future DirectionsQuality of Pharmaceutical Industry Press Releases Based on Original ResearchScientific Uncertainty in News Coverage of Cancer Research: Effects of Hedging on Scientists and Journalists CredibilityAn Analysis of News Media Coverage of Complementary and Alternative MedicineDeconstructing media coverage of trastuzumab (Herceptin): an analysis of national newspaper coverageMedia Coverage and Public HealthDid News Reporters Get It Right?Communication and dissemination of longitudinal study findingsDecline in use of hormone therapy among postmenopausal women in the United KingdomAverage Household Exposure to Newspaper Coverage about the Harmful Effects of Hormone Therapy and Population-Based Declines in Hormone Therapy UseA multidisciplinary, multi-agency approach to a young person's sexual health clinicHormone replacement therapy and breast cancer: where are we now?A Canadian Observational Study of the Optimal Method of Transition From Postmenopausal Hormone Therapy to RaloxifeneAre we expecting too much from print media? An analysis of newspaper coverage of the 2002 Canadian healthcare reform debateAustraliaˈs media reporting of health and medical matters: a question of qualityIs It a Medical Breakthrough?Getting It Right: Being Smarter about Clinical TrialsThe Health Buck Stops Where? Thematic Framing of Health Discourse to Understand the Context for CVD PreventionChanges in newspaper coverage about hormone therapy with the release of new medical evidenceParental Perspectives on Influenza Vaccination among Children with AsthmaPerceived Risk of Breast Cancer among Women at Average and Increased RiskWorkgroup Report: Biomonitoring Study Design, Interpretation, and Communication—Lessons Learned and Path ForwardAustralia's media reporting of health and medical matters: a question of qualityMonitoring the quality of medical news reporting: early experience with media doctorScientific drug information in newspapers: sensationalism and low quality. The example of therapeutic use of cannabinoidsThe Public Forum – Sharing the News with the Public 3 February 2004Volume 140, Issue 3Page: 226-228KeywordsClinical trial reportingConflicts of interestDrugsHealth careHealth care utilizationHealth services researchPrevention, policy, and public healthRelative riskStable coronary artery diseaseStreptococcus pyogenes ePublished: 3 February 2004 Issue Published: 3 February 2004 CopyrightCopyright © 2004 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...