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April 19, 2006
MS: "Newspapers Called Often Wrong on Neurologic Disorders" - Mayo Clinic Phoenix
"About one in five newspaper articles about neurological conditions...contains errors, according to a study by Mayo Clinic researchers. Moreover, roughly 21% of news stories about neurological conditions contain 'stigmatizing language' that portrays the patients with these conditions as socially undesirable or reduced in personal wealth, wrote neurologist Joseph I. Sirven, M.D., of the Mayo Clinic Phoenix. Inaccuracies included overestimating risk of mortality, presenting symptoms as more severe, or reporting unusual, atypical symptoms as the norm. Treatment inaccuracies included false claims that a therapy was curative or lack of reporting of adverse effects of therapy. And "omission of key data is the announcement of a new treatment or scientific breakthrough with no further identification or explanation," the authors wrote. In an editorial Jessica M. Fishman Ph.D., and David Casarett M.D., of the University of Pennsylvania, wrote that the inaccuracies and stigmatizing language identified are important because several surveys have identified newspapers as a "widely used and highly trusted source of health information." So errors in newspaper articles "may have a disproportionate influence on individuals who place high trust in this source of information compared to other sources." The papers included in the review were the Arizona Republic, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Boston Globe, Chicago Sun-Times, Houston Chronicle, New York Times, San Diego Union-Tribune... The neurologic conditions included....MS, stroke, traumatic brain injury, dementia and Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, brain tumors...." SOURCE: MedPageToday |