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No self-respecting medical reporter sets out to purposely distort the facts of a story. But the path to crafting an accurate and engaging article can be strewn with landmines that foil a writer's best intentions. In Medical Journalism: Exposing Fact, Fiction, Fraud, author Ragnar Levi, MD, provides a roadmap to help journalists avoid these difficulties and navigate a safe passage to the truth of a story. Dr Levi draws lessons not only from his background in medicine and journalism but from numerous interviews with experienced medical journalists. Bringing a critical eye to bear on a story is the cardinal rule he sets down. The overall message is that, rather than accept information at face value, journalists must scrutinize data and ask relevant questions. To do this, reporters need a basic understanding of research methodology and of common errors in clinical research. The author stresses that it does not take a scholar to question the experts; however, it does take guts, common sense, and "an interest in the implications of scientific findings for people's health problems." But what exactly does the term "critical journalism" mean? According to Dr Levi the critical journalist can separate fact from fiction in a story by asking whether the claims seem credible, verifying that the claims are supported by scientific evidence, and determining whether the evidence is strong or weak. Deciding on the best way to tell the story is also integral to its quality and accuracy. As Deborah Blum, one of many medical and science writers interviewed for the book, points out, giving a story the right emphasis, putting it into perspective without understating the risks or exaggerating the hopes is part of good medical reporting. Medical Journalism provides a useful overview of general questions to consider when evaluating a research report. For example, a reporter can begin by asking how the hypothesis for a study was framed and what methods were used to test the hypothesis. To help distinguish between strong and weak evidence, Dr Levi describes the different types of clinical studies—from randomized controlled trials to case reports. While the studies are well described, I do think the author might have included examples of each study to further clarify them for inexperienced journalists. Detailing all the pitfalls a medical reporter may face would be virtually impossible. Instead of attempting such a task the author outlines ten dangers reporters should be alert for and details suggestions for how to skirt these traps. For example, to avoid the pitfall of reducing reporting to quoting—that is, reproducing accurately what a source has said without checking on the truth of the statement—Dr Levi provides a list of reference books, CD-ROMs, and Internet sites that reporters can use to verify information. A comprehensive chapter on using the Internet to search for medical information includes necessary caveats about what journalists should keep in mind when using the World Wide Web. A glossary defines many technical terms and concepts that journalists come across in their work. Discussions of challenging topics that confront medical reporters, such as alternative medicine and misleading information provided in advertising, are informative, as is a list of suggested topics that reporters may want to explore for future stories. Medical Journalism provides succinct, straightforward advice that would be a useful guide for a fledgling journalist. For a writer with more experience it could serve as a review and handy reference. Getting the facts straight in medical stories is crucial because this information affects people's lives. A top priority for medical reporters is to ask questions their audience would want answered, keeping in mind that despite the increasing volume of scientific literature, definitive answers for many health issues have not yet been identified. This book should help medical journalists achieve this primary goal.
JAMA – American Medical Association
Published: Apr 24, 2002
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