Skip to main content

who are you quoting?

Before broadcasting the latest news over Twitter, or before citing that journal article in the draft of a scientific paper, consider who you are quoting. That is the reminder being sent to us by John Gregerson in his article entitled "Truth, Lies, and Rumors in the Media: Consider the Source", published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

In the article, he cited several examples of others preempting the deaths of famous people. I am happy that the people I follow on Twitter appear to be aware of the importance of "the source". A few days ago, Rodolfo Vera Quizon, Sr, the Philippine Comedy King, passed on. Before he died, people had been spreading rumors (or misinformation) that he had died at a much earlier time. But there were those who preferred to wait for the official statement coming from one of his sons, Eric Quizon, before posting their tweet-tributes about Dolphy and their condolences.

Aside from celebrity news, scientific discoveries are sometimes being played up by media. Two examples: Ever heard about polished rice being an unhealthy food because those who eat it are more at risk of developing diabetes type 2? Or how about the news articles that say that there are rice varieties that don't contribute to diabetes type 2? How about the never ending debate about whether red wine is good or bad for the heart? And don't get me started with the monosodium glutamate issue... or the studies about artificial sweeteners. The list goes on and on...

Confused?

Yes? Good.

With so many conflicting studies out there, relying solely on these news media outfits as sources of information is risky. The media is what can be considered a secondary source; not necessarily the best reference material for scholarly work. And I emphasize the term scholarly. For other purposes, media reports are some of the best sources of information.

So, how do we decide whether to accept a news article at face value or with a grain of salt? Gregerson gives us a few pointers. I'm putting three of them here, those pointers that I also learned in Advanced English class (in high school). Consider the following:
1. Who is the news article quoting or citing?
2. Who has written the article?
3. Is there a conflict of interest?
To read more about the article, here are the details:

Gregerson, J. 2012. Truth, lies, and rumors in the media: Consider the source. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 112 (5): 602.


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Thank you for dropping by!

Before moving on, please share your thoughts or comments about the post. :)

Thanks again!

Popular posts from this blog

10 things I learned while driving on Marcos Highway to Baguio City

I went on a day trip to the City of Pines, which was around a 700-km drive from my house. I drove  going up there and then from the city to Victoria, Tarlac. After that, my dad took over the driving duties. It was day trip with Tita Ising and Tito Sibing with us. Anyway, this trip was my first time to go to Baguio City with me behind the wheel. As everyone who drives up knows, there are three main routes to Baguio from the lowlands: Kennon Road, which ascends from Rosario, La Union. It was out of my options because it's too dangerous to use that road in the rainy season. The second route is via Naguilian Road, which makes my trip a lot longer because the beginning of the ascent is in Bauang, La Union (further north). The last route, and the one I took, was the Marcos Highway, now known as the Aspiras-Palispis Highway. This 47-km road starts from Agoo, La Union and is touted as the safest route among the three.  As I drove up and then down (on the same day; we were in Bagu
5 comments
Read more

How MALDI-TOF-MS makes mycobacterium diagnosis faster and more accurate

The laboratory I work in has plenty of instruments that help us characterise and identify microorganisms causing diseases in patients. One of my current projects is to validate an instrument called "matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometer" (MALDI-TOF-MS) in identifying members of the Mycobacterium  species. Many of these organisms are opportunistic, meaning they only cause illnesses in people whose immune systems are not strong enough to fight infections. Mycobacterium leprae  is known for causing leprosy, but we cannot grow this bacterium in culture media, so we cannot isolate it. Mycobacterium tuberculosis  complex, on the other hand, is a group of several species of Mycobacterium  that causes tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is a disease that killed 1.6 million people in 2021 alone. It is a leading cause of death globally, second only to COVID-19 since the pandemic began. Identifying the Mycobacterium species that has infected a patient is
Post a Comment
Read more

a crash course on traditional Filipino houses

On Dr Jose Rizal's birthday this year, I was back in historic Manila with Ate Bing, Ate Mary , and Manuel . But instead of visiting him, we opted to soak up on Philippine culture. Our first stop: the Cultural Center of the Philippines ' (CCP) Museo ng Kalinangang Pilipino .  Aside from the musical instruments, I noticed the dioramas about Filipino homes. Filipinos living by the sea (the 'sea gypsies', Sama Dilaut or Badjao ) have boathouses; those who live in the mountains, like the Bagobos , have developed interconnected houses in the trees; Filipinos who live along the path of the strongest typhoon winds, such as the Ivatans , have developed houses of thick limestone walls; and people who live in calmer conditions used bamboo and nipa to construct their houses, like the lowlanders and the Agtas . Sama Dilaut 'lepa' and houses on stilts (in the background) Ivatan limestone house nipa hut Ifugao 'fale' Maranao '
Post a Comment
Read more