Ethics Governance
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| Article - Abstract. To view full article click on the article title. | |
eMJA: Media coverage of scientific presentation Medicine and the Media Media coverage of scientific presentations Julie Robotham and Robert Whitehead MJA 2002 177 (7): 375-375 In reply: The letter from Aroney displays some basic misunderstandings of the role of the media in reporting medical issues. Aroney states that "the press [has] a responsibility . . . to avoid recommendations which are not evidence-based and which detract from our efforts to reduce mortality from . . . cardiovascular disease." A press article does not itself make recommendations when it reports the recommendations of others — an essential distinction. In addition, the press has no responsibility to follow the agenda of the medical profession and its slavish insistence on the dogma of evidence-based medicine. The press owes doctors no more favours than it owes any other sector of the community. The role of the press is to raise and debate issues of public interest in a manner that is balanced and responsible. The news report about aspirin did all of this.1 We agree that publication in a peer-reviewed journal may add scientific credibility to research findings and that this may sometimes make them more newsworthy. But our responsibility is to report medical matters of interest to the community, which means we are not limited to peer-reviewed findings. Any substantial fact, observation or opinion relating to medical practice is fair game for a newspaper's attention. After the findings of Bertouch and colleagues were presented at a conference,2 they entered the public domain, as did their later comments made to us directly. Full Article: http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/177_07_071002/robotham_071002.html |
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2006 Ethics-Governance.com |
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