Media malpractice in Canadian newspaper coverage of the arthritis drug Celebrex: Guidelines for journalists covering medical news

Medical news has gained enormous popularity in recent years. This study examines Canadian newspaper coverage of medical news using the arthritis drug Celebrex as a case study. Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in Canada and the new nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug quickly became the most popular choice for arthritis sufferers. This qualitative content analysis looks at Canadian newspaper coverage of Celebrex. While the watchdog role of the press tends to encourage journalists to examine issues critically, often with scepticism and doubt, this did not appear to be the case in much of the news coverage of Celebrex. Most journalists reported Celebrex marketing messages and pharmaceutical company claims as unattributed facts in news copy. This study concludes with guidelines for journalists covering medical news. These 15 step-by-step suggestions for science and medical reporting offer simple and cost effective ways to assist journalists in becoming more critical consumers of scientific data.