What makes science news newsworthy?
A full-text article by Susan M. Fitzpatrick published in the Scientist, 22 November 1999. Fitzpatrick compares two research articles, one about the potential ability to enhance human intelligence which received wide general press coverage and the other, an examination of the differences between humans and apes, which was reported only in the scholarly press. She argues that neither story was any more newsworthy than the other and suggests that scientists who contact the media in an effort to hype up their findings may be doing more harm than good in that the public may become weary of breakthroughs and empty promises. Instead, it is more important that science journalism creates a true public understanding of science, without the hype.
