A recent episode of the Media Report on ABC Radio Rational focused on the pitfalls of health reporting. Before I delve into the murky quagmire that is health news, here is a great clip from The Chaser, which despite being humourous is also a little ‘close to the bone’.
From a science journalist’s perspective, health is one of the easiest areas to source stories. There is a seemingly endless stream of press releases from medical journals, as well as an even longer list from public relations companies (typically promoting a product that isn’t likely to have undergone clinical testing).
Even if a journalist discounts the later, which I frequently do, there is no guarantee that research in a peer-reviewed journal is A-grade.
