Story Reviews - Systematic, Criteria-Driven

Treating Kidneys With Radio Waves May Ease Tough-to-Control Hypertension

While the story gets a relatively high grade, it got unsatisfactory scores on 3 of our most important criteria:  costs, harms, and evidence.

Is there a journalistic love affair with invasive interventions for resistant high blood pressure?

Beet Juice Lowers Blood Pressure

This WebMD story never reported the main finding of the study, which is that beet juice had no effect on blood pressure in the study overall. The headline, “Beet Juice Lowers Blood Pressure,” is not supported by the published research paper.  The story only gets a  3-star score because of satisfactory grades on the easy criteria; it flunked all of the more vital criteria.  Don’t judge a story by its star score.  Read the entire review.

New method allows better prostate cancer testing

This story promises that “better prostate cancer testing” may be right around the corner, even as the researchers and editorial writers warn of limitations and “significant hurdles.”

In Girl’s Last Hope, Altered Immune Cells Beat Leukemia

This New York Times piece about an experimental leukemia treatment captures the excitement of this gene therapy research with a gripping account of one patient’s story. But we don’t think it delivers enough of the cautionary notes that we feel are mandatory with this kind of reporting. The competing Philadelphia Inquirer story was more restrained but missed some important details that the Times delivered.

University of Pennsylvania gene therapy shows promise in eradicating some blood cancers

Less sensational than the competing New York Times piece, this riveting read would have been better with a few minor improvements.

Drug Shows Promise for Lupus Skin Conditions

This story about research on an experimental approach for lupus skin conditions raises more questions than answers regarding effectiveness.

Experimental Antidepressant Appears Quick-Acting, Safe

This story does some things quite well, but still gets unsatisfactory scores on some of what we consider to be key criteria.

Bigger Role Seen for Breast Cancer Drug

An excellent story, addressing most major points of extended tamoxifen breast cancer treatment research while incorporating clear, clean writing.  Better than the competing AP and USA Today stories.

Longer tamoxifen use cuts breast cancer deaths

Solid story, better than the competing USA Today story but not quite as good as the NY Times.  Our two reviewers were women with breast cancer trained in the evaluation of evidence by the National Breast Cancer Coalition’s Project LEAD. (One also got her PhD in epidemiology – not insignificant.)

Long-term treatment cuts breast cancer deaths

Two women with breast cancer, trained in how to evaluate medical evidence, thought this story wasn’t as good as the Associated Press or New York Times stories.  It is vital to see news stories as people most affected see them.