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Published on: August 30, 2013
Newspaper reporting of screening mammography
J Wells1, P Marshall, B Crawley
1Health Services Research Unit, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Oxford, Institute of Health Sciences, Old Road, Oxford OX3 7LF, United Kingdom.
Annals of Internal Medicine
|December 19, 2001
Summary
Newspaper coverage of mammography screening for women aged 40-49 often overrepresented support. Articles frequently lacked cited sources and presented benefits in relative terms, impacting public understanding of screening mammography.
Area of Science:
- Medical Journalism
- Public Health Communication
- Health Screening
Background:
- Ongoing debate exists regarding the efficacy and recommendations for screening mammography, particularly for women aged 40-49.
- Newspapers are a significant source of public health information, but their reporting on screening mammography's objectivity and foundation is unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critically examine the reporting of screening mammography in major U.S. newspapers.
- To assess the objectivity, source attribution, and presentation of risks and benefits in media coverage of mammography screening.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional descriptive study analyzed articles from six top-circulation U.S. newspapers between 1990 and 1997.
- Key metrics included article themes, information sources, quote origins, cited recommendations, and the presentation of mammography's risks and benefits.
Main Results:
- Screening mammography for women aged 40-49 was the most frequent theme; 31% of articles lacked cited sources.
- Recommendations and quotes favored mammography support over reservations for women 40-49, with little change over time and infrequent alignment with national guidelines.
- Mammography benefits were predominantly presented in relative terms (95%) rather than absolute terms (11%).
Conclusions:
- Newspaper reporting tended to disproportionately emphasize support for screening mammography in women aged 40-49.
- Improved reporting would involve citing all sources, diversifying information sources, and presenting benefits in absolute terms alongside relative terms.
- Establishing clear standards for medical journalism, similar to those for reporting medical research, could enhance the quality of health reporting.
