Distortion of science in the media: what can we do about it? - Petroc Sumner

Question 1

(background):

What did Sumner’s original study conclude?

How did the media distort this?

Answer 1

(background):

Found that people’s urgency correlated negatively to GABA concentration.

(see slide 2-5)

Question 2

(background):

Describe the cycle in which the media distorts scientific information.

Answer 2

(background):

see slide 7

Question 3

(background):

Why is it important to consider the negatives of media distorting science?

And also important to study it?

Answer 3

(background):

Even in the age of online news and social media… most of us still get most of our information about science from mainstream news media… and mainly from the news media…

(see slide 8 for chart)

Over 1000 health-related stories break each year in UK alone

80-90% of UK adults - over 40 million people - use these as their main information about new science. e.g. For diet and making healthy lifestyle choices, how to stave off dementia or what’s safe in pregnancy; also for forming opinions about science.

News content is even known to bias the diagnoses made by medical experts.

Only takes a tiny % to change their behaviour each year either harmfully or beneficially to have a large absolute effect on public health.

We have an opportunity to shift the balance more towards benefit.

Question 4

Read slide 12

Answer 4

Keep going, you got this, if you focus now you can relax later. Once you learn the information you know it, its difficult to learn first time but once you do YOURE GOOD TO GO AND DONT HAVE TO STRUGGLE FURTHER.

Question 5

(Sumner’s research):

What was the research question?

Answer 5

(Sumner’s research):

Where have the distortions arisen?

Question 6

(Sumner’s research):

Describe the procedure, results and conclusion.

Answer 6

(Sumner’s research):

see slide 14-20 + doc