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SciPoll 642: The Impact of Poor Media Coverage on Scientific Communication
Have you encountered instances of poor or sensationalized media coverage of scientific studies in the past year?
Results
(106 Answers)
Answer Explanations
- Yesuser-885754There has been a tendency to sensationalize reports of myocarditis associated with COVID-19 vaccines. For example, one particular study that found increased rates of myocarditis in young men after vaccination has been widely cited. However, this data was used to claim a significant increase in myocarditis cases without offering a comparison with myocarditis rates from COVID-19 infections, which are much higher. This selective reporting has had a considerable impact, fueling anti-vaccine sentiment. It is essential to be aware of the consequences of such reporting (FINN Partners - https://www.finnpartners.com/news-insights/mad-science-media-coverage-and-misinformation/).
- Yesuser-864887An essay published by an apparent expert in Aeon magazine discussed effects in human pregnancy, but the caption for a figure mistakenly indicated that it showed fetal development, but it actually showed the earlier embryonic phase. Any "expert" should surely be aware of the crucial distinction between the embryonic phase of pregnancy (developmental weeks 1-8) and the succeeding fetal phase (developmental weeks 9-38).
- Yesuser-987379Usually PR does not have a scientific backgound, leading to overstating of the results.
- Yesuser-557043Fusion power has been over hyped in the past year after several scientific breakthroughs in the past few years. While the breakthroughs were sigificant, the media's understanding of their significance was often not fully understood. As an example, the National Ignition Facility achieved parity for the first time meaning the fusion energy from the experiement exceeded the energy hitting the target. However, delving into the data deeper reveals the TOTAL energy required for this experiment was in fact still many times the energy released from the fusion target. The media also misunderstands the time required to turn scientific achievements in fusion into practical commercial energy sources.
- Yesuser-270255COVID-19 Pandemic News
- Yesuser-606148Failure to understand confidence intervals when stating efficacy or predictions
- Yesuser-755272So, most recently (3 weeks) ago there was a bulletin on two National News Papers about Uganda as a country introducing a drug/injection/vaccine for HIV prevention. So, because all the three substances are different, I picked up the issue and posted it to our professional group (Public Health-Epidemiologists) for discussion. The questions I raised were, did the reporters mean a vaccine for prevention? A drug for cure or an injection for palliative care? since it was not clear! To date no regulatory authority such as the Ministry of Health, National Drug Authority and the National Council for Science and Technology has come out to correct the bulletin. You can imagine what the community is consuming in terms of the right information to be disseminated in a population that is not only illiterate but also has low health literacy levels.
- Yesuser-967592Important scientific discoveries are not published by the media houses. May be due to low nos of interested readers and also connection with scientific community and media houses are not established
- Yesuser-818026Many articles use attention grabbing headlines touting potential cures for serious illness when the reality, if even possible, is years to decades away.
- Yesuser-265612During Covid 19 pandemic, there were so many media representation about the negative impact of taking Covid 19 jab.
- Yesuser-103792Almost any news concerning Archaeological finds, most of the time exaggerated in order to gain attention. Not all discoveries can actually "rewrite history", but this is how news are perceived by the public if headlines are emphasized and texts are oversimplified.
- Yesuser-350867New cause of lupus identified in 19 patients! Some how this made it to Nature. NBC covered it. Not sure how a study of 19 people could be impactful
- Yesuser-650802Fake news
- Yesuser-52919Media doesnot cover the exact research and the diagnostic criteria being set which had created a lot of buzz amongst public during COVID era
- Yesuser-743452One notable instance of poor media coverage was related to the findings on the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines. Certain media outlets sensationalized preliminary data, leading to widespread misinformation. For example, early reports on vaccine efficacy often failed to adequately explain the context of the data, such as differences in study populations, variants of the virus, and the significance of reported side effects. This resulted in public confusion and increased vaccine hesitancy. The exaggerated focus on rare adverse events without proportional emphasis on the overall benefits of vaccination contributed significantly to public discontent and mistrust towards scientific recommendations and health authorities. This type of misrepresentation can undermine public health efforts and erode trust in scientific research.
- Yesuser-246431food safety
- Nouser-633316I have not seen any important scientific improvements on media. In my opinion, world has more importand agenda then science.
- Yesuser-895401Media coverage is often on social topics, and there is generally no importance or interest in scientific topics.
- Yesuser-586801In my opinion Media totally avoid covering scientific studies. Even if they did they will do erroneously.
Artificial Intelligence Advancements- Example: Claims about AI achieving human-like intelligence.
- Issue: Sensational headlines about AI achieving human-like intelligence or posing imminent existential threats often ignore the current limitations of AI technology and the context of the research. This can create unrealistic expectations and fears about AI.
Climate Change Studies- Example: Reports on extreme weather events.
- Issue: Media coverage sometimes attributes specific extreme weather events directly to climate change without acknowledging the complexity and nuance of climate science. This can lead to oversimplified narratives and public misunderstanding of climate change impacts.
- Yesuser-830392Basically the news never brings in the concept of dose response. Industrial and agro chemicals are simply always sensationalized as the boogey man that is killing everything when the reality is really the opposite.
- Yesuser-696023I am a toxicologist - take any news from this field and journals of general quality levels (German mainstream journals like Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Spiegel, Welt etc.) and you have the sensationalism (fine particle dust, herbicides, pesticides). Also, pharmacological research is either "saving the world" or ineffective.
- Yesuser-830315Everything since covid is either poor or exaqgerated, or at least not explained in a good way. I think that nowadays journalists tent to be more sensational, for the 5 min coverage, than exact on most of their information.
- Yesuser-850520My research is in protein metabolism in athletics. The frequently recommended need for an increase in dietary protein has not been consistently found.
- Yesuser-214851COVID-19 related drug treatment and vaccines.
- Yesuser-527673The media coverage that was incorrect about COVID vaccines affected my patients COVID vaccination rates but also decreased childhood vaccine rates.
- Yesuser-887652It's hard to think of any example of accurate or precise media coverage of science. Part of that comes down to what is considered newsworthy. Part of it can be blamed on institutional promotion based on perceived media expectations. Universities and funding groups want press attention. Scientists are rewarded for attracting that attention. The system isn't broken, it's doing exactly what it was designed to to.
- Yesuser-768135Yes, there are. In my researchers I needed comtinously to valuate the references to sellect the best bibliography against pseudoresearch and the poor scientific development.
- Yesuser-49719The science news model is bad for science. It treats science like football, basketball or other competitive sport, with its celebrities and prices. Particular papers are glamorized by the PR departments of universities, often giving priority to controversial news that are at odd with the scientific consensus. Other times it gives priority to papers that support a politically-correct opinion in detriment to evidence to the contrary.
- Yesuser-433549Emphasis on not trusting academic journal
- Yesuser-133885about a flawed study using cell lines and poor experimental design in a reputable journal about a drug which is in Phase I/II clinical trials.
- Yesuser-489806Worry and fear is now a close second to rage and hate. About 30 percent (in my estimation) of pop news articles attempt to use fear to generate traffic to their site. Most of those articles are a waste of time.
- Yesuser-242774YES! For example for PFAS.
- Yesuser-902187Concerning carpal tunnel
- Yesuser-743123Several studies of non-relevant or predatory journal are covered, while serious studies never receive any attention. I have read the design of fake cancer treatments published in strage journals.
- Yesuser-176904Future therapies (phages), benefits about diets or ingredients
- Nouser-822867Its rare but mostly are done with proper scientific evidences. In very rare cases it's otherwise!!
- Yesuser-740332Bumblebees playing with a ball, which was interpreted as self-awareness
- Yesuser-484519misunderstanding of hazard vs. risk
- Yesuser-298485Anything related to toxicity or safety of consumer goods, supplements, medicines, foods, etc.
- Yesuser-377267The news was related to the use of plant protection products, in particular herbicides containing glyphosate.
- Nouser-683654There has been no news.
- Yesuser-282673The media always covers the entertainment news, but not scientific reports.
- Yesuser-110809Don't remember the details but about plastic pollution
- Yesuser-561710One specific instance where I represented my research unit on national TV was particularly bad. The interview was excellent but there was a bit of over dramatization after they'd made their tv version of it.
- Yesuser-355607The news concerned covid-19 treatment
- Yesuser-753537out of context + issues with presenting causal effects while evidence is from observational studies only
- Yesuser-477751PFAS, ad hominem attacks, poor representation of the science and justifications for tolerable exposures
"endocrine disruptors", none of the sceintific issues identified by a group of authors described, just taking arguments fro one side