Healthy Skepticism Library item: 6476

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: Journal Article

van Trigt AM, de Jong-van den Berg LT, Haaijer-Ruskamp FM, Willems J, Tromp TF.
Journalists and their sources of ideas and information on medicines.
Soc Sci Med 1994 Feb; 38:(4):637-43

Abstract:

In this article we describe from which sources science writers who write about medicines in daily newspapers get their ideas and information. This study was undertaken because mass media, and therefore newspapers, can play an important role in the diffusion of information about medicines. Two approaches, interviews and a content analysis, were used to answer the research questions. Both methods show the importance of professional medical journals and information from universities and their hospitals as sources of ideas and information. Although the pharmaceutical industry did not seem to play a role as source of ideas and information according to the journalists, it is the third most frequently cited source of information in the newspaper articles. To gain a better insight in the role of the pharmaceutical industry as source of ideas and information for newspaper journalists further research is necessary.

Keywords:
*analytic survey/The Netherlands/journalists/source of information/INFLUENCE OF PROMOTION: JOURNALISTS/INFORMATION FROM INDUSTRY: JOURNALISTS/PROMOTION AS A SOURCE OF INFORMATION: JOURNALISTS Drug Industry Humans Interviews Journalism, Medical* Periodicals* Science Universities