The truth can vary, depending upon who tells it, which part or parts, and from what angle. My mom works for Business Wire and through her, I have gained a unique understanding of the news media. What her company does is format and release news from publicly held companies to the wire services, which cater to specific markets. From there, news agencies pick up stories they want to cover and deliver the news to the people. Some information has to be released by companies because of legal and stockholder obligations. Other information is sent to the wire services because individuals or companies just want the information to be picked up and presented to the masses.
When a news agency decides to pick up a press release, the information is in a specific format. The journalists are able to rework what they select however they like, but the key is that they selected the information. Medical researchers may release information that can be easily misunderstood by the public, as Michael Winter notes; however, those researchers may be required to release their findings because of grant or other funding stipulations. Again, it is the news media who selects and formats the information we, the people, see.
As for the abundant “green” claims Traci Watson tackles in her USA Today piece, can we be surprised? People historically don’t follow rules that aren’t enforced. The 1992 FTC requirements are no better than the paper they are printed on if it’s nobody’s job to enforce them. Our capitalistic society allows our corporations to do anything to make a buck. If we want to limit what they can do, we have to put teeth in our laws.
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Both of these issues seem to come down to doing our own research at the consumer end. The journalists should read the whole study rather than relying on a press release. And the consumer should also read the study before putting too much faith in the headlines. Even when it comes to green claims, we should probably be a bit skeptical and look beyond the claims on a product. We can no longer assume that anyone is necessarily looking out for our best interests.
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