Science and the media: the boundaries of truth.

Prologue: In the fast-paced world of journalism, science writers are a special breed: well-trained, conversant in a wide range of health and medical subjects, and prepared at a moment's notice to translate for readers the meaning of the latest technological breakthrough. In the last year, their calls to action have been Barney Clark, Baby Fae, and, most recently, Bill Schroeder. At the same time, though, they often are viewed within their profession as the backbenchers of big-time journalism, experts in the scientific arcane whose subject matter only occasionally merits page-one attention or prime-time television coverage. What drives these journalists? What pressures are they subjected to as they strive to unravel the mysteries of science for an interested public and advance their own careers? In a landmark study, Jay Winsten, director of the Office of Health Policy Information at the Harvard School of Public Health, set out three years ago to answer these questions in an examination of how news judgment...