JAMA reports on media bias in drug study reporting
Expect a change in reporting about drug stories.
The Journal of the American Medical Association says the media often does not mention the source of funding when it reports on drug studies; the journal also reported that the media most often references drugs by their proprietary names, not their generic names, which can serve drug companies that are looking to increase brand recognition.
Michael Hochman and Danny McCormick, two Massachusetts-based physicians, went to the Boston Globe, contributing an editorial that said: “Many factors may explain these shortcomings. For example, there may be a desire of journalists to make their stories upbeat and absorbable. A more concerning possibility, however, is that journalists are influenced by pharmaceutical promotions.”
The Association of Health Care Journalists also weighed in on the situation, offering a statement of guidelines for healthcare journalists.
