As far as I can tell, Marilynn Marchione of the AP is the only mainstream news media journalist to report that “A study of Medicare records found that men treated with proton beams later had one-third more bowel problems, such as bleeding and blockages, than similar men given conventional radiation.” She reports that results “were [...]
Only when you track health news every day, as we have done for years, can you point to patterns of practice by certain news organizations. We have data to point out which news organizations are more likely to report from news releases. We have data to point out which news organizations are more likely to [...]
ABC News is in the midst of a major promotion of Dr. David Agus’ book, “The End of Illness.” In the course of their reporting, they sent Nightline host Bill Weir to see Agus, whom he referred to as “a rock star of science.” Weir had tests as part of his reporting and writes: As [...]
A paper published today in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute brings new focus to the questions already raised about prostate cancer screening. Headlines: Prostate Cancer Screening Shows No Benefit – New York Times “Updated findings from one of the largest studies of prostate cancer screening show that the commonly used P.S.A. blood test [...]
General journalism discussion How the News Media May Hurt – Not Help – Health Literacy Efforts The effects of churnalism on health care news & the public Screening test issues Call for balance in cancer screening news (my op-ed in Saint Paul Pioneer Press) We interrupt this state fair for a little prostate cancer [...]
Last week, the Cleveland Clinic sent out the following “News Tips”: “Top 5 Medical Tests for 2012 As we head into 2012, healthy New Year’s resolutions will abound. People will pledge to work out more, eat healthy foods and finally go to see their doctor for a physical. Cleveland Clinic experts note that there are [...]
I’m choosing to blog about a HealthDay story headlined, “British Study Suggests Mammograms Do More Harm Than Good,” rather than do one of our criteria-driven systematic story reviews because our criteria don’t address the bigger picture. And that bigger picture is this: In a criteria-driven, systematic story review of another HealthDay story about a Dutch [...]
ESPN has begun another Jimmy V Week for Cancer Research in order to raise awareness and money for cancer research. The week – and The V Foundation for Cancer Research – are named after legendary college basketball coach Jimmy Valvano, who died of metastatic adenocarcinoma just a few weeks after giving this unforgettable speech at [...]
It’s ironic that this now makes three consecutive entries on this blog that all relate to public misconceptions or misunderstanding of how science works. • Yesterday I blogged about a science writer’s lament about how reader comments sometimes display an inability to accept evidence. • Earlier today I posted a humorous piece from The Daily [...]
This week’s edition of the NEJM includes four perspective pieces on the new US Preventive Services Task Force’s prostate cancer screening recommendations. One, on “what the USPSTF left out,” states: “Although the USPSTF explicitly does not consider costs, policymakers cannot ignore economic aspects of screening. Using data from the European screening trial, researchers have estimated [...]
We look for more critical analysis of FDA expedited approval of a new drug like this.
Five-star story on small study that tries to counter large body of evidence on soy supplements for hot flashes.
Our reviewers, including a leading women’s health clinician-researcher, felt this piece would have been benefited from more data and context.
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