Grant: CIHR Café Scientifique Program

Canadians are becoming increasingly interested in staying, or becoming, healthy and learning about the latest health trends and developments. The news media has been quick to cater to this interest by producing many reports on health and medical issues. Every day new health research studies are covered in the media worldwide. One day you may read coffee is bad for your health; the next day you'll hear the same cup of java reduces your risk of disease. How does one sort through the complex and often conflicting world of scientific research to make sound health decisions? The media has incredible influence over public perception: nearly nine out of 10 Canadians make decisions affecting their health as a direct result of media reports on health and health research. However, due to the complexity of health science, and poor reporting practices, these reports often contain skewed facts or conflicting data. The Canadian Cochrane Centre (CCC) supports media sharing health information, but lobbies for responsible reporting based on the totality of evidence. While many health writers take care to ensure their writing is informed by the best available evidence, this is not always the case. But, just as journalists should use many types of information and sources to produce stories, the public should seek to verify what they see and read in the media. This Café Scientifique is an opportunity to educate the public to interpret health and medical media reports with caution while using critical appraisal skills to distinguish responsible reporting from sensationalized and misinformed journalism. The CCC will discuss examples of health news stories to identify problematic reporting practices while presenting trusted information sources the public can use to validate media reports, including The Cochrane Library. This event will provide a discussion forum where researchers and the public alike can exchange ideas about health reporting in an open environment.