the paper had been allowed to come out on its own, without advance fanfare from the publishing journal and Venter, whose company funded the research. My sense is that possibly only a few newspapers and wires may have jumped to cover it.
Scientific meetings are major offenders too. “News” stories based on presentations of phase I and II trial results—which often fail to be reproduced in larger groups of patients—are constantly being announced even before the research has been peer reviewed. That kind of “news” sometimes moves stock prices.
Although it seems counterintuitive, I believe this practice of ginning up media coverage ultimately works against the scientific enterprise. Bombarding the public with too much science news, most of it of questionable relevance, can only serve to deafen people’s ears to all that white noise.
Scientists love to blame the journalists for not doing a good enough job at filtering the information. I partly agree. That’s why I am glad to see sites like Healthnewsreview.org scrutinizing journalists’ coverage of science news. Not only is it a fascinating read, but the site’s analyses of good and bad stories are highly educational.
Still, the unavoidable reality of today’s newsrooms is that dedicated health and science departments are ceasing to exist. Newspapers have killed their science sections, and general assignment reporters who may have barely made it through biology in college are being asked to cover the latest stem cell story. This means, then, that it isn’t only up to the reporters to filter the information. The sources that produce it must do a better job as well.
It might come as a surprise to the academics, but next time they wonder why a study was hyped in the media they might want to look at their university’s own PR office. According to an interesting study, abstract press releases issued by universities and medical centers often promote studies with questionable relevance to human health and fail to acknowledge important limitations.
Let’s not forget also that many of these press releases not only raise the profile of a researcher and his institution; they can also bolster a scientist’s image as he prepares to start a company around a discovery.
The bottom line, as always, is that money talks. The endeavor of scientific research, noble as it may be, is nonetheless a business.
