Through a prospective study of the news-making process, this project proposes to explore what scientists and journalists think is important to communicate compared to what they actually do communicate about scientific discoveries. The investigators will assess the accuracy, balance, and context of mass-media coverage of such discoveries. They will analyze the impact of particular reporting practices on consumers' and health care providers' responses (not just interpretations); and make recommendations about reporting practices that are grounded in an empirical understanding of their real consequences.
| Geller, Gail; Bernhardt, Barbara A; Gardner, Mary et al. (2005) Scientists' and science writers' experiences reporting genetic discoveries: toward an ethic of trust in science journalism. Genet Med 7:198-205 |
| Holtzman, Neil A; Bernhardt, Barbara A; Mountcastle-Shah, Eliza et al. (2005) The quality of media reports on discoveries related to human genetic diseases. Community Genet 8:133-44 |
| Geller, Gail; Tambor, Ellen S; Bernhardt, Barbara A et al. (2003) Houseofficers' reactions to media coverage about the sequencing of the human genome. Soc Sci Med 56:2211-20 |
| Tambor, Ellen S; Bernhardt, Barbara A; Rodgers, Joann et al. (2002) Mapping the human genome: an assessment of media coverage and public reaction. Genet Med 4:31-6 |
