Journalists' views on media coverage of medical tests and overdiagnosis: a qualitative study.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Promotional media coverage of early detection tests is an important driver of overdiagnosis. Following research evidence that global media coverage presents the benefits of testing healthy people far more frequently than harms, and gives little coverage to overdiagnosis, we sought to examine journalists' views on media reporting of tests, overdiagnosis, and strategies to improve critical reporting on tests.

Design

Qualitative study using semistructured telephone interviews. Interviews were conducted between February and March 2020 and were audiorecorded and transcribed verbatim. Framework thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.

Participants and setting

Twenty-two journalists (mainly specialising in health reporting, average 14.5 years' experience) ba

SUBMITTER: O'Keeffe M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8173287 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature