PUBLICIZING GENETIC DISCOVERIES--THE IMPACT OF THE MEDIA

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore MD

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

DESCRIPTION: Through a prospective study of the news-making process, this project proposes to explore what scientists and journalists think is important to communicate compared to what they actually do communicate about scientific discoveries. The investigators will assess the accuracy, balance, and context of mass-media coverage of such discoveries. They will analyze the impact of particular reporting practices on consumers' and health care providers' responses (not just interpretations); and make recommendations about reporting practices that are grounded in an empirical understanding of their real consequences.