Know the Science: The Facts About Health News Stories

Accuracy in the Media

Unless you read and understand the original sources for the story, it can be difficult to know whether a news story is misleading. But the likelihood that the story is correct increases if it:

• Comes from a media outlet, like a news station or Web site, that isn’t trying to promote a point of view or cause
• Was written by a science or health reporter trained to understand medical findings
• Includes quotes from experts not connected to the study, for a more objective take on the findings or to show another point of view.