Distorting Genetic Research About Cancer: From Bench Science to Press Release to Published News

Abstract

This study considered genetic research relating to cancer outcomes and behaviors, specifically investigating the extent to which claims made in press releases (N=23) and mainstream print media (N=71) were fairly derived from their original presentation in scholarly journals (N=20). Central claims expressing gene-outcome relationships were evaluated by a large pool (N=40) of genetics graduate students. Raters judged press release claims as significantly more representative of material within the original science journal article compared with news article claims. Claims originating in news articles which demonstrated contact with individuals not directly involved in the research were judged by experts to be more representative of the original science as compared with those that demonstrated contact with individuals directly involved in the research.

Perils and pitfalls of reporting sex differences

“…Suggesting otherwise leads to logical leaps known as the appeal to nature and deterministic fallacies-that sex-typical behaviour is natural, predetermined and out of our control. The cost of these fallacies is high: readers exposed to such arguments are more likely to endorse stereotypes and engage in stereotype-consistent behaviour (reviewed in [12,51,52]), and may feel powerless to change their own trajectories [48,50]. In § §3 and 4, I will focus primarily on Fallacy 1 and how to avoid it.…”

Science and the Sources of Hype

“…Example strategies include, inter alia: placing a greater emphasis on the publication of negative results, encouraging granting agencies and faculty evaluation committees to place less weight on journal impact factor as a way of measuring publication quality [30], insulating researchers from industry and commercialization pressures, the formation of independent science media organizations (e.g. Science Media Centre of Canada [77]), encouraging media to seek independent sources of information about implications of research results [48], educating science graduate students on the issues associated with science communication [6], and considering and utilizing the full breadth of communication media (e.g. museums, documentaries, blogs, movies, etc.)…”

“…Still, a degree of hype and inaccuracies remain. Indeed, recent work by Brechman et al [48] found that the distortion between the press release and the subsequent media report is, in general, greater than the distortion between original research article and the press release. There seems little doubt that the media remains an important component of the hype phenomenon.…”

Comparing Local TV News with National TV News in Cancer Coverage: An Exploratory Content Analysis

“…News coverage is the result of reporters’ or editors’active engagement with sources as well as their independent research and own ideas (Brechman, Lee, & Cappella, 2011; Dunwoody, 1999; Gans, 2004). Although journalists try to choose authoritative sources that are perceived as being credible and having more accurate information, previous studies illustrate that most sources used in news stories tend to be limited to people with whom journalists have frequent and regular contact and who are geographically close to the news organization (Gans, 2004; Kaniss, 1991;Tuchman, 1978).…”