L’Agenzia Italiana del Farmaco – Italy’s national drug regulatory agency – published a profile of our work on their website. The web article was entitled, “Come leggere criticamente le notizie sulla salute: l’esperienza di HealthNewsReview.org” – or – “How to critically read the news about health: the experience of HealthNewsReview.org.”
The article is a summary of my JAMA Internal Medicine piece from last May, “A Guide to Reading Health Care News Stories.”
The Italian article concludes:
HealthNewsReview.org provides reporters… a series of practical tools useful to distinguish background noise from the facts and provide a better service to readers. This toolkit includes, for example, a list of independent experts who have no financial ties to the industry (and the conflicts of interest arising therefrom) to turn to figure out how to provide the best interpretation of the results of scientific studies.
The activities undertaken in systematic review of the news by this courageous site have stopped (temporarily, Schwitzer hopes) because of a lack of funds. But the founder does not fail to continue to offer his views on misleading news on his blog and via his Twitter account, a lone voice that deserves to be heard.
It does, indeed, feel lonely out here many days. And the article is correct: I have now limped through 15 months of operation of the site without funding. Because of pressing family matters, I have at least temporarily stopped pursuing new funding possibilities.
So, thanks to L’Agenzia Italiana del Farmaco for this recognition of our efforts.
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https://twitter.com/healthnewsrevu
Opinions on other issues in news, journals, PR, advertising, marketing
Puleeeeease... this 'game changer' weight loss drug causes more nausea and vomiting than a placebo. Some game, some change. My friend Gary would spank you for using the eighth word medical reporters should never, ever use. @garyschwitzer @thackerpd
https://www.healthnewsreview.org/toolkit/just-journalists-writing-tips-case-studies/7-words-and-more-you-shouldnt-use-in-medical-news/ https://twitter.com/OttawaCitizen/status/1361426796126830597
A scary @statnews Op-Ed warns that govt attempts to rein in Pharma may cut off access to "life-changing" drugs.
It takes @garyschwitzer to let us know: the author spent 10 years as Pfizer's public-policy chief. https://twitter.com/garyschwitzer/status/1360325022578053123
.@TranspariMED criticizes STAT op-ed for not disclosing pharma funding of author’s institute - similar to criticism we’ve made of STAT op-eds in the past. @transparify @ThinkTankWatch @icer_review https://www.healthnewsreview.org/2021/02/transparency-watchdog-criticizes-stats-non-disclosure-on-pro-pharma-op-ed/
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