Increasingly, the news is filled with headlines that begin
"Doctors claim..." or "A new study finds..." When these
highlights from scientific research have to do with raising
healthy children, they can induce fear in parents if something
is said to be detrimental to young people's well being.
Research-oriented news reports are quite popular, and
journalists often relay only what will get your attention,
devoting little if any consideration to the details of a
particular study. Rather than presenting a thorough examination
of a study — how it was done, who was involved and the
implications of its findings — the fast-paced news cycle reports
only a quick statistic or declaration, which may leave you
feeling worried or defeated. To counteract the way the news
media tend to cover scientific studies — either too
sensationally or too briefly — you can approach each report with
a healthy skepticism. Remembering to be cautious about claims —
even those from familiar information sources like the evening
news or a morn