Spin – defined as emphasizing beneficial outcomes or inadequately reporting harm – is in essence putting the best glow on a report. It is done in politics, news reporting, and in publicizing scientific research. Headlines grab the reader. They are very important and may be the sole reason a person buys a newspaper, magazine, listens to a newscast, or clicks on a website. But they can also be grossly misleading and can leave consumers, who may go no further than the headline, with a false impression of the facts.
Where does all this leave you? We use many platforms today to gather food and nutrition information – TV, radio, newspapers, websites, phone apps, and social media platforms – and all of them are competing for our attention with catchy headlines. Add a celebrity endorsement and the story may get more appealing.
Be a skeptic. Beware of soundbite science. Does the author or speaker have credentials and are they in the field they are talking about? Go to reliable sources to question new studies or see if they are relevant. Don’t change your life or what you feed your family based on one new study. Ask questions and listen carefully to the answers. Remember the old adage – if it sounds too good to be true it probably isn’t true.
