Search Results for "headline study"
Headline vs. study: Predicting, preventing and other clickbait
Predicting and preventing. These are powerful words that hold strong appeal for most of us, especially when it comes to our health. But the reality is this: There are very few diseases that can be predicted and prevented. Try to name just one and you’ll see that it’s rarely, if ever, possible. And yet we […]
Headline vs. Study: Using cancer as clickbait
Using cancer as clickbait is ubiquitous and worrisome. It’s one thing to highlight studies that represent genuine progress, and quite another to write hopeful headlines about studies that are clearly not ready for prime time. Such is the case with 4 of the stories we feature below. It may seem like too widespread a problem […]
Headline vs. study: Promises for your heart, brain, and the common flu
This edition of Headline vs. Study focuses on two recurrent problems we see in both news stories and news releases. First, the prevailing assumptions that either new technology (like using stem cells for a common knee ailment), or more technology (like combining two heart scan techniques) are automatically superior to the existing approach. Although that sometimes […]
Headline vs. study: Sometimes fishy, sometimes pulling a rabbit out of a hat
How likely are you to believe one of the following: That a study in fish might hold the key to preventing Parkinson’s? That a study in rabbits might help us prevent HIV from spreading? A brain scan could pick up mental illness? I’m betting you’re skeptical. And you should be. But get this: all three […]
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A breast cancer study in mice gets big headlines, setting up potential for patient ‘disaster,’ experts say
“I spoke to several cancer specialists in New York City last night who said ‘caution, this is not ready for primetime.’” — ABC News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton. That’s the key quote from a recent Good Morning America “Cover Story” segment about a mouse study exploring why breast cancer sometimes spreads in the immediate months […]
‘Ultra-processed’ foods and cancer: Headlines show the right way, and the wrong way, to frame study results
Today’s headlines on ultra-processed foods and cancer offer a good case study in the right way — and the wrong way — to frame the results of an observational study about diet and the risk of disease. The stories are based on a French study in which more than 100,000 people were asked about their […]
Headline vs. study: If only health news headlines would …
If only jolts of electricity to my brain could make me less forgetful. If only mice and baby pigs could read; or, at least, learn which oils and infant formulas are good for them. If only headlines — like those we feature below — would stop misleading people. Especially when it comes to common health […]
Headline vs. study: The unbearable heaviness of false hope
Here’s a perfect storm. Take several common diseases that affect millions of people — like antibiotic-resistant infections, Alzheimer’s disease, major depression and bipolar disease — and then write headlines about recent (or old!) studies on these illnesses that hint at hope. But then, in the ensuing article, don’t give your readers evidence to support your […]
Headline vs. study: Stem cells ‘slow aging’ and ‘rejuvenate’ old hearts
A 2014 analysis by the Media Insight Project found that about 6 out of 10 Americans admit they did nothing more than scan the headlines in the past week. And that’s just the people that admit it. Then, last summer, French and American researchers found that nearly 60 percent of links shared on social media had never been clicked […]
‘OK to wait’ or ‘Delay at your own risk?’ Headspinning headlines on same colonoscopy study
Headline messages about new studies often present conflicting–even polar opposite–takeaway messages about the research. Consider these clashing messages out yesterday from HealthDay and Reuters Health about the same study: If you drill down into each story you’ll find basically the same description of the results: Waiting up to 10 months after a positive stool test […]
Headline vs. study: boxes for your baby, blueberries for your brain
We continue our regular series looking for clear and compelling disconnects between what a headline highlights, and what the referenced study is really about. As you will see below, this past month ended up to be a smorgasbord of food and nutrition stories. Not surprising really. Time and time again we’ve found this to be a genre of health […]
Headline vs. study: Cancer breath, common weeds, and coffee forever!
This is our third go-round looking for disconnects between what a headline implies or emphasizes, and what the substance of the referenced study really is. And we are beginning to see some themes that almost invariably raise our eyebrows, such as headlines that make factual claims from what are clearly preliminary results. Or headlines that–usually in a […]
Headline vs. study: Bait and switch?
We all do it in journalism. We are taught to write a headline that a) captures what the story is about, and b) captures the reader’s attention. Nothing wrong with that. Where the problem comes in is if the headline misleads or misinforms. And, as is so often the case with healthcare topics, that sort […]
4 Headline vs. study: A battle where readers often lose
The quest for balance in a health news story can fail before the first sentence if the headline isn’t appropriately calibrated. With that in mind, I looked at news stories and releases that we reviewed over the past month and compared the headline message with that of the study on which the news is based. […]
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Behind the “Biggest Loser” study headlines — a lost opportunity to educate about weight loss options
The following guest post is by Dr. Michael Joyner, a medical researcher at the Mayo Clinic. These views are his own. You can follow him on Twitter @DrMJoyner. One of the biggest health news stories last week was about the long term weight loss results reported in 14 participants from the Biggest Loser reality […]
