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BIO-1201 / BIO-1301: Science Research

Scientific Studies in the News


Scientific research studies are often the subject of popular, mainstream media coverage - whether it be television, newspapers, magazines, etc. These initial stories are picked up by news aggregators, websites, blogs, and social media.

Media coverage can be a positive thing for making key findings known, for attracting further research funding, and for articulating the rationale and results of a scientific study in a way that is more understandable for a general audience.

The downside is that these outlets report on what they deem to be the newsworthy (most interesting, most attention-grabbing) findings of a study. This coverage does not usually give the reader/viewer a complete picture of the methods and outcomes of the study. Thus, the public perception of the study is distorted and incomplete. Additionally, the broader media tends to notice initial research studies, as opposed to the follow-up studies that might confirm or disprove the original findings, or the meta-reviews that pull together all the original research studies on a given topic in order to synthesize those study outcomes (Dumas-Mallet, Smith, Boraud, & Gonon, 2017).

Additionally, journalists face tremendous pressure to provide balanced coverage, and in attempting to do so, they may elevate questionable, agenda-driven science claims to a higher level of credence.

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