Exaggerations and Caveats in Press Releases and Health-Related Science News.

Background: Exaggerated or simplistic news is often blamed for adversely influencing public health. However, recent findings suggested many exaggerations were already present in university press releases, which scientists approve. Surprisingly, these exaggerations were not associated with more news coverage.

The association between exaggeration in health related science news and academic press releases: retrospective observational study.

Objective: To identify the source (press releases or news) of distortions, exaggerations, or changes to the main conclusions drawn from research that could potentially influence a reader's health related behaviour.

Design: Retrospective quantitative content analysis.

Setting: Journal articles, press releases, and related news, with accompanying simulations.