MEDICAL SCIENTISTS AND HEALTH NEWS REPORTING - A CASE OF MISCOMMUNICATION

The public is poorly served by the coverage of medical science in the general press. Scientists and physicians blame the press, claiming tha t journalists are careless in their reporting, subject to competitive pressures, and ignorant of the scientific process. Journalists accuse the medical community of limiting access to information and erecting b arriers to the public dissemination of medical research. In many areas of health news reporting, the underlying problem is an interactive dy namic that involves scientists and journalists. Both parties share the responsibility for accurate communication to the public. This report suggests ways to improve health news reporting, focusing on four probl em areas: sensationalism, biases and conflicts of interest, lack of fo llow-up, and stories that are not covered.