Retractions, press releases and newspaper coverage

Abstract

Objectives : To explore how often newspapers cover the retraction of a medical journal article and whether newspaper coverage corresponds with the appearance of a press release about the retraction. Methods : Fifty citations were identified in PubMed that had been indexed with the Medical Subject Heading 'Retracted Publication'. Next, the archives of LexisNexis's 'Major Newspapers' and EurekAlert's press releases were searched to find references to those retracted publications. Results : Newspaper articles addressed exactly three of the 50 retracted publications, and press releases, exactly four of the 50 retracted publications. All three retracted publications that received newspaper coverage also had a press release. In other words, newspapers only covered a retraction that had been introduced by a press release. Conclusion : One would expect that newspaper coverage would increase after a press release, but the suggested relationships among a medical journal article retraction, a press release and newspaper coverage should be further investigated. If the linkage suggested by the data of this study holds, and if newspaper coverage stimulates library patron interest, then a medical library might prepare itself for information requests following a press release. IntroductionRetracted medical publications represent a serious problem. Various types of error of an author lead to a retraction, 1,2 and mistakes are more common than misconduct. 3 Yet, substantial misconduct occurs, despite warnings to authors, 4 and the effects of scientific misconduct can be devastating. 5 Publishers' reaction to evidence of its authors publishing fraudulent material is mixed. 6 Most publications do not provide a policy on retractions. 7 The American National Library of Medicine introduced the 'Retracted Publication' tag in the 1980s. 8 Nevertheless, authors often continue to cite a retracted article without recognizing that the article was retracted. 9 Retraction notices themselves vary widely in style and scope. 10 The delay between a publication appearing and its retraction has deleterious effects. 11 Not adequately addressed is the relationship between retractions and the mass media. The media exploit scientific breakdowns. 12 British medical newspaper journalists select stories based on media and political agendas. 13 While the study of British newspapers concluded that medical journalists rely on major medical journals for source material, 13 a study of international newspapers suggested that press releases provide the primary source material. 14 Press releases themselves do not routinely highlight study limitations or the role of industry funding, and they exaggerate the perceived importance of findings. 15 One study of Australian television coverage of medical issues has shown that news coverage falls into these categories: bizarre stories, moral warnings, Correspondence: Roy F. Rada, Department of Information Systems, University of Maryland Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA. E-mail: rada@...

The impact of misconduct on the published medical and non-medical literature, and the news media

“…Editorials often mention ''erosion of public trust'' as a damaging outcome of RM cases (e.g., Godlee and Wager 2012); though ''public trust in science'' among individuals may be strongly influenced by opinions regarding science as either a driver of technological innovation or a hinderance of innovation and economic growth by fueling governmental regulation (Gauchat 2012). Considering the dependence of scientific and medical research on public funding, the paucity of comprehensive studies on media coverage of scholarly article retractions and misconduct is surprising (Greenbaum 2009;Rada 2005Rada , 2007. If ''newsworthiness'' relates to public sentiment, then the prominence of RM in the news media may be a good proxy for public perception.…”

Infodemia em tempos de pandemia: batalhas invisíveis com baixas imensuráveis

“…Outro estudo, conduzido pela Universidade de Maryland, nos Estados Unidos, e publicado no artigo "Retractions, press releases and newspaper coverage" (RADA, 2007) analisa com que frequência os jornais cobrem a retratação de um artigo médico e se a cobertura jornalística é adequada. O estudo concluiu que apenas uma pequena fração das retratações são publicadas pelos jornais.…”

Trascendencia de los gabinetes de comunicación en la práctica periodística. El caso concreto de la nota de prensa..

“…Por su parte, las rectificaciones de estudios científicos también tienen más probabilidades de ser divulgadas si se emiten con notas de prensa. Rada (2007) analizó 50 informaciones de este tipo de 1997 a 2005. De las 4 que se enviaron con nota de prensa, 3 fueron utilizadas por los periódicos.…”