Addressing tensions when popular media and evidence-based care collide

Table 1 Results from review of 1,854 health news stories by HealthNewsReview.org

Criterion	No. of satisfactory scores	No. of unsatisfactory scores	No. of not applicable (N/A) scores	Percentage of satisfactory scores (total minus N/A)
Costs	476	1,087	291	30%
Benefits	623	1,204	27	34%
Harms	626	1,158	70	35%
Evidence	713	1,137	4	39%
Disease-mongering	1,385	397	72	78%
Sources/conflict of interest	1,021	829	4	55%
Alternatives	781	1,021	52	43%
Availability	1,227	450	177	76%
Novelty	1,372	381	101	78%
Rely on press release*	1,329	120	405	92%

* The criterion asking whether the story appeared to rely solely or largely on a news release requires some explanation. Note the high number of not applicable (N/A) scores. In order to make a judgment on this criterion, reviewers must have a copy of a news release. Because a news release is not always available, many stories are graded N/A. The percentage of satisfactory scores may seem high; another perspective is that the fact that 120 supposedly independently reported stories were found to rely solely or largely on a news release is troubling.

ISSN: 1472-6947