Health journalists understand some of the key elements audiences need to better understand health stories, but they also misunderstand the impact statistical information has on audience comprehension, according to a University of Missouri researcher.
Speaking at the Association of Health Care Journalists’ annual conference, assistant professor Amanda Hinnant, Ph.D., said the results of a survey she and colleagues conducted showed that health journalists realize audiences will be more likely to understand health stories that include a human element, use graphics to illustrate important information and employ a conversational tone.
Kim Walsh-Childers, Ph.D., of the University of Florida writes about the panel – includes a link to Hinnant’s presenation.
