From Climate Change to Obesity, the Media Oversimplifies Science Through Headlines and Social Media

Last week, PolicyMic pundit Cameron English discussed some recent studies that have found associations between diet soda intake and weight gain, cardiac disease, and other adverse health outcomes. In his article, English cast well-deserved scorn on media outlets that twisted the researchers’ findings. Reports suggested that the studies found diet soda to “cause” X, Y, or Z health outcome, when in reality the studies were only designed to establish correlations. This irresponsible coverage, while no doubt effective in generating more clicks, subscriptions, and ad sales, suggests that many in the American media are out of touch with the realities of biomedical research.

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