Health Journalists' Perceptions of Their Professional Roles and Responsibilities for Ensuring the Veracity of Reports of Health Research

Abstract

Health industries attempt to influence the public through the news media and through their relationships with expert academics and opinion leaders. This study reports journalists' perceptions of their professional roles and responsibilities regarding the relationships between industry and academia and research results. Journalists believe that responsibility for the scientific validity of their reports rests with academics and systems of peer review. However, this approach fails to account for the extent of industry-academy interactions and the flaws of peer review. Health journalists' retention of a critical stance regarding industry-academia relationships will include advocacy for and adoption of mandatory reporting of these relationships.