Local News Health Reporting: Condition Critical

We're all about public service here at Public Eye. So let me let you in on something: You probably shouldn't use lemon juice as a contraceptive.

I know, I know, you knew that. But here's the thing: if you've been watching local news health reporting, you might not be so sure. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has written up a new study from researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Michigan that suggests that local health news is not quite healthy. Reporters John Fauber and Susanne Rust write that researchers found "the typical story was only 33 seconds long, lacked specifics and, in a few cases, contained egregious and sometimes potentially deadly errors, according to an exhaustive analysis of 1,799 TV health stories."

One story said exercise could cure cancer. Another said that the best way to get an item out of your child's throat is to stick your finger down there. (That's "a technique that could actually push the item farther down the victim's air pipe," as the Journal Sentinel helpfully points out.) And as for lemon juice, it seems to be damn near miraculous, if the local news is to be believed: One report suggested it might make an effective substitute for expensive HIV medications.

Not all the blame goes to the media outlets, says UW political scientist Ken Goldstein, because health officials are sometimes ineffective in communicating with the media. As for the mistakes, the Journal Sentinel points out that viewers are more likely to miss them in medical reports than they are in some other stories because they lack familiarity with the topic.

Fair enough. But I think we can all recognize one thing: When it comes to local news health reporting, you should probably take much of the advice with a nice big grain of salt.