The association between exaggeration in health related science news and academic press releases: retrospective observational study

被引：232

作者：

Sumner, Petroc ^{[1
,2
]}

Vivian-Griffiths, Solveiga ^{[1
,2
]}

Boivin, Jacky ^{[2
]}

Williams, Andy ^{[3
]}

Venetis, Christos A. ^{[4
,5
]}

Davies, Aimee ^{[2
]}

Ogden, Jack ^{[2
]}

Whelan, Leanne ^{[2
]}

Hughes, Bethan ^{[2
]}

Dalton, Bethan ^{[2
]}

Boy, Fred ^{[6
]}

Chambers, Christopher D. ^{[1
,2
]}

机构：

[1] Cardiff Univ, Sch Psychol, Brain Res Imaging Ctr, Cardiff CF10 3AT, S Glam, Wales

[2] Cardiff Univ, Sch Psychol, Cardiff CF10 3AX, S Glam, Wales

[3] Cardiff Univ, Sch Journalism Media & Cultural Studies, Cardiff CF10 3AT, S Glam, Wales

[4] Univ New S Wales, Sch Womens & Childrens Hlth, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia

[5] Univ Wollongong, Fac Sci Med & Hlth, Grad Sch Med, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia

[6] Swansea Univ, Dept Psychol, Swansea, W Glam, Wales

来源：

BMJ-BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL | 2014年 / 349卷

基金：

英国惠康基金; 英国经济与社会研究理事会; 英国生物技术与生命科学研究理事会;

关键词：

COVERAGE; QUALITY;

D O I：

10.1136/bmj.g7015

中图分类号：

R5 [内科学];

学科分类号：

1002 ; 100201 ;

摘要：

Objective To identify the source (press releases or news) of distortions, exaggerations, or changes to the main conclusions drawn from research that could potentially influence a reader's health related behaviour. Design Retrospective quantitative content analysis. Setting Journal articles, press releases, and related news, with accompanying simulations. Sample Press releases (n=462) on biomedical and health related science issued by 20 leading UK universities in 2011, alongside their associated peer reviewed research papers and news stories (n=668). Main outcome measures Advice to readers to change behaviour, causal statements drawn from correlational research, and inference to humans from animal research that went beyond those in the associated peer reviewed papers. Results 40% (95% confidence interval 33% to 46%) of the press releases contained exaggerated advice, 33% (26% to 40%) contained exaggerated causal claims, and 36% (28% to 46%) contained exaggerated inference to humans from animal research. When press releases contained such exaggeration, 58% (95% confidence interval 48% to 68%), 81% (70% to 93%), and 86% (77% to 95%) of news stories, respectively, contained similar exaggeration, compared with exaggeration rates of 17% (10% to 24%), 18% (9% to 27%), and 10% (0% to 19%) in news when the press releases were not exaggerated. Odds ratios for each category of analysis were 6.5 (95% confidence interval 3.5 to 12), 20 (7.6 to 51), and 56 (15 to 211). At the same time, there was little evidence that exaggeration in press releases increased the uptake of news. Conclusions Exaggeration in news is strongly associated with exaggeration in press releases. Improving the accuracy of academic press releases could represent a key opportunity for reducing misleading health related news.

引用

页数：8

共 27 条

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[Anonymous], 2006, Embargoed science

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[Anonymous], 2009, Mapping the field: specialist science news journalism in the UK national media

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