195 press releases included a direct quote from the investigator, but in many cases (51 press releases) the quote was “overly enthusiastic” about the study’s implications
Overall, about 30% of the press releases overstated the validity or scientific importance of the original research.
You might wonder if these results reflect a skewed sample. But Woloshin and colleagues limited their study to press releases from institutions that made the top 52 (of 125) rankings in U.S. News and World Reports. As a result, they suspect their findings represent a “best case scenario” (Woloshin et al 2009).
What we can do
Clearly, the people who tell us about science need to be more cautious.
• Press officers need to be more selective and critical of the research they promote.
• Researchers need to be more circumspect about what they say to the press.
• Journalists need to do their jobs, and not simply pass along information without checking the facts.
But readers have to be critical, too. In general, you should be skeptical about any science that is presented as “breaking news” in the popular press. Real analysis—by researchers and by journalists--takes time.
More information about the development of empathy
Want to know the real (evidence-based) story about empathy? Check out
these articles, which feature my analysis of the published research:
• Empathy and the brain
• The empathy gap: Why people have trouble anticipating how they--or someone else--will feel in the future
• The case for teaching empathy and empathic concern
• Tips for teaching empathy
Blakemore S-J, den Ouden H, Choudhury S, and Frith C. 2007. Adolescent developments of the neural circuitry for thinking about intentions. SCAN 2: 130-139.
Burnett S and Blakemore S-J. 2009. The development of adolescent social cognition. Ann NY Acad Sci 1167: 51-56.
Woloshin S and Schwartz LM. 2002. Press releases: Translating research into news. JAMA 287(21):2856-8.
Woloshin S, Schwartz LM, Casella SL, Kennedy AT, Larson RJ. 2009. Press releases by academic medical centers: not so academic? Ann Intern Med. 150(9):613-8.
Content last modified 6/9image of teen and grandmother ©iStockphoto.com/Nancy Louie