The sorry state of medical news reporting

While we often give great attention to the way journalists report about politics and major issues of the day, there is a topic that often seems to fly under the radar - health & medical news. I'm referring to the many stories about possible new cures or treatments for various bodily ailments such as cancer, back pain, or heart disease. Frequent watchers of the network morning news shows, like "Today" or "Good Morning America" would probably notice that at least once a week, they will discuss a supposed miracle cure, promising new pill, or apparent breakthrough medical treatment.

I've often sensed that the quality and tone of these stories leaves a lot to be desired. The network morning shows, and often major newspapers also, run stories that seem to promise sudden alleviation of suffering through a wonder-drug or surgical procedure. While it's understandable to want to give hope to people dealing with chronic pain or serious disease, more often than not, the reported story over-emphasizes the apparent benefits of the new treatment and underplays the real risks, costs, and uncertainty about efficacy.

A recent segment in NPR's "On The Media" looked at this issue and discussed the rather shoddy state of medical reporting (at this link). They spoke with a journalism professor at the University of Minnesota who has been tracking and evaluating health/medical stories for several years, rating them on how well they meet some basic criteria for reliable reporting. This professor, Gary Schwitzer, publishes a website that is very worth reading - HealthNewsReview.org and writes a related blog that analyzes the quality of medical stories from several major news outlets. Giving each story a rating (1-5 stars), his reviews give a long-term average rating of roughly 2 stars, essentially considering the state of medical journalism as generally disappointing (roughly equivalent to C-minus for a school grade).

While the "ethics" of this situation are not obvious, it seems to me that it's another instance where the American news media is letting us down through their bad habits and loose standards. Rather than giving accurate and objective analysis of new medical findings and treatment options, they pander to our fears and hopes by suggesting great promise where little is warranted. It's especially disconcerting because of the importance of our being well-informed citizens during the health-care overhaul debate currently raging.