Why Do Serious Newspapers Post Rubbish About Tinnitus?

Just been looking around to see newspaper articles about Tinnitus
Here is one from the serious broadsheet The Telegraph in the UK....

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/goodlife/11784521/Cilla-Black-had-tinnitus-I-know-how-she-feels.html

Please can people comment on what they read in the article and provide any other articles that are equally full of stuff and nonsense re Tinnitus.
Can't we reply to these newspapers and let them know that they are printing untruths.....to the mass public...?

But here is a better article from a rubbish newspaper!

http://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/health/drugs-treat-tinnitus-hearing-problems-5527073

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/music-health-warning-listening-more-5244982

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/health/liverpool-tinnitus-sufferer-says-turn-3430595

At least there seem to be lots more articles about this condition but the first one I posted was just so much rubbish...

And finally here is a funny one....

http://www.daftynews.com/millions-blame-cilla-black-hearing-loss-conditions

But seriously folks do we really need to have such rubbish reported in the papers? on this serious condition? any comments?

And here is a good article by a rubbish newspaper!

http://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/health/drugs-treat-tinnitus-hearing-problems-5527073

And then I just found this one......

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-139867/A-sound-hope-tinnitus-victims.html

but looks like this is old news....

 

``Tinnitus can make you deaf`` ... what rubbish ...

 

This is actually a good article but with little bit of misinformation about causing deafness (T doesnt cause deafness its a symptom of deafness), but who cares as long as it scares people, especially excellent is this quote that is rare to see in tinnitus articles:

In some cases tinnitus can be so bad that it quite literally drives people to their death. On July 9 this year, 58 year old James Ivor Jones died by jumping into a quarry, leaving a note that he simply could not live with the pain of tinnitus any more.

 

The charity Action on Hearing Loss said that with five drugs already in the final stages of clinical testing and a further 13 in the early stages of clinical development, it expects the first new products to be approved and on the market by 2020.

Now this statement may be horsecrap lol.
FIVE DRUGS in the final stages of clinical testing? AND THIRTEEN MORE??? in early stages?
Either its total bullshit or they are in on a huge inside information!

 

yes that is nonsense. tinnius can cause ringing can it?

 

@amandine, I just took a few minutes to write to Telegraph and explained them step by step why what they wrote is piece of crap We'll see if they correct anything.

 

Brilliant thank you and well done!

 

Thank you for bringing it up. Indeed, it's outrageous to read such nonsense. More and more difficult to find good quality journalism nowadays.

 

Indeed. But you read that article on the internet for free, right? You didn't contribute any funds to The Telegraph so that they may produce better journalism?

That's not your fault; it's the business model the media propagates.

 

Are you kidding me ? Because it's for free they are welcome to write crap ? Journalism should be a vocation and not business. They have power of reaching masses therefore there is moral responsibility that goes with. It's obvious the journalist who wrote the first article didn't take any time to study the topic. Nobody forces this paper to provide a free version on the net. If they decide to do so, they should do it with quality or not do it at all.

 

so journalist must work for free? that is terrible.

 

But it is a business. The only reason The Telegraph exists is to sell newspapers. And journalists, like any other professionals, need to be paid.

It's a lofty ideal to believe anything else, but unfortunately it doesn't quite match the reality.

 

Haha that Daftynews site

http://www.daftynews.com/man-hears-time-deaf-hearing-direction/

 

Literally the only thing I disagree with in that article is the line that "tinnitus causes hearing loss", and, read in context, I think that's pretty clearly an editorial error which was meant to read "tinnitus is always associated with some degree of hearing loss".

What do you dislike so vehemently about that article? It sums up the distress of the condition, it sums up the current sad state of available treatments, and it appears to take the condition very seriously, being written by someone who has it. I'm not sure what set you off about that one?

 

I don't know, it's a pretty bad article in my opinion. It's not particularly well written, it's confusing, and while not everything is untrue, if we're looking at it from the point of view of utility for someone who never heard of the condition, I'm not sure it's providing a big picture look at tinnitus. We hope that something is perhaps an editorial error (but I'm not convinced given the quality), but someone who knows nothing about tinnitus might now think that T leads to deafness, which is not necessarily the case at all, it's not even always accompanied by related hearing loss depending on the cause. At numerous points very odd statements are made "tinnitus is different than ordinary deafness..." or "[tinnitus is a condition]...which gradually send you deaf. Loss of balance is one of the more distressing symptoms, and sufferers often find themselves inexplicably on the floor." These statements are incredibly misleading.

It seems like this is more an inexperienced writer's opinion piece than a article of serious, well-researched journalism. If that's what it is, then it should be noted by the paper with a link to more objective information.

 

And yet a quick Google search reveals that the author appears to be in her 70s and has written for The Telegraph for years.

But why? The Telegraph has already achieved its objective by getting you to click on the article in the first place. And as @linearb has already stated, it's an editorial, so as far as the newspaper is concerned, it's just one person's account - however flawed - of the subject.

I'm not trying to be obstinate about this issue, but it seems like sometimes we fundamentally misunderstand how the media works. And, in my opinion, it's hypocritical to demand gold-plated investigate journalism from every outlet when often it's journalism we've consumed for free from outlets we would never subscribe to (ie. pay for) in the first place.

 

I worked in international journalism and marketing, I know, at least fairly well, how the media works. In my opinion, it is the responsibility of a good journalist, one who takes pride in their work and position as a conveyor of information to the public, to write things that are accurate, balanced, complete, detached and ethical. Those are actually tenants that were, at one point, taught to journalists at the BBC. If it's an opinion, it's not hard to state that at the beginning of the article, it's already been clicked - giving the paper it's beefed up analytics, and a bio of the author at the end, or a byline linked to a bio, is also fairly commonplace.

Now, is everyone that responsible? Certainly not. I do not expect "gold-plated investigative journalism" from every writer or news outlet, but a more responsible paper and writer would have done more to this article prior to disseminating it to the public. This isn't a personal blog or a tabloid - they're a publication that markets itself as a serious news source. Saying tinnitus is "a condition that can cause dizziness, ringing in your ears and deafness," is simply untrue - it's not something you even have an opinion about. Of the relatively few things known about this condition, I think we can all say that it does not necessarily cause dizziness or deafness and it certainly doesn't "cause" ringing - it is ringing. This is an irresponsible article, even if well-intentioned by the author.

Additionally, if this issue is pay, journalists are paid, certainly not handsomely, but paid, in large part by their readers, even if those funds are paid through the clicks that lead to advertisers buying space on the page. It's insulting to the journalist and the public to say that just because you aren't paid handsomely enough, you can do poor work to a degree that its damaging to your consumer. Of course it happens - it's unavoidable, but it shouldn't be said to be okay.

 

I used to work as a journalist for the ABC here in Australia, so I'm well aware of the tenets such outlets supposedly pride themselves on.

My point is; The Telegraph doesn't have to do any of the things you've suggested. Indeed, as we can see, they haven't.

What they've done is is run an editorial by a woman who, by her own account, suffers these particular symptoms. I doubt any editor at The Telegraph could care less what a member of the public thinks about the editorial because a) people clicked on it regardless and b) if someone disagrees with its contents, they'll point to the fact it's an editorial and not an in-depth investigation.

I'm not saying I agree with it... I'm just saying that in the financially constrained world of journalism, that's the way it is.

 

I used to work at the BBC and we had to check the facts of a story not once nor twice but three times in order to ascertain its correctness. I worked in radio and yes did edit interviewees responses to make the story more 'lively' or interesting. However never did I put out an item that was factually incorrect. This first article is factually incorrect and that is what set me off...for example it says that having T leads to dizzy spells .....

Quote: suffered from tinnitus, an incurable condition where you keep hearing noises in your head that are not actually there and which gradually send you deaf. Loss of balance is one of the more distressing symptoms, and sufferers often find themselves inexplicably on the floor. Unquote

Loss of balance is not necessarily a condition of Tinnitus but a condition of Meniers Disease for example and T does not send you deaf at all. I and many others who have T and not Meniers have not found themselves on the floor inexplicably!

Quote: But what, I wonder, caused her to lose her balance? The Spanish authorities believed it might have been something to do with the extreme heat - which it might well have been. But people with tinnitus can also experience dizzy spells that lead to falls.Unquote

Here we go again in this article - Tinnitus does not produce dizzy spells but I believe that Menieres Disease can cause dizzy spells.

Quote: Tinnitus is different from ordinary deafness, but it always causes a level of hearing loss. Possibly the most effective treatment so far is to get a hearing aid. These have made great progress in the past 10 years or so and when I went for a hearing test, this was what my audiologist recommended.Unquote

Tinnitus does not always cause a level of hearing loss....although often it is associated with hearing loss.

Basically it is good that this ailment is getting aired and written about but just wish the newspaper would present facts and not one persons particular experience unless it is together with well researched info...

Perhaps it would be a good idea for the newspaper to report on the fact that anti epileptic drugs have been found to be useful for T and the experiments that are going on with that......even here on TT...and how doctors are being prevented from prescribing (certainly in the UK and in Europe) due to the fear of being called up to explain why they prescribe drugs for an ailment that the drug is not licensed to deal with.
There was recently a case where a doc has been prescribing LDN for patients with MS for example and has been for many years.
His patients showed remarkable improvement but the doc was called up to explain himself and had to apologise and promise he wont prescribe anymore so that he would not be struck off.....
His patients and many others with MS are now suffering.

Anyhow that is off topic but important info for a serious article on T....

 

Mike, I don't think anyone is arguing that they don't have to be responsible, as you said, they weren't. I did, in fact, say it is likely unavoidable. All I am saying is what a more responsible publication or writer would have done. It's a poor article, irresponsibly presented. People and organizations with influence all over the world get away with irresponsible actions every day. That doesn't mean we should accept it as "just the way it is" and shrug. If the good journalists out there (they exist and abhor equally this sort of nonsense), and the public do not hold our media outlets accountable, then you are correct, no one will.

 

You could pay, but they still won't produce better journalism.

 

This is not being rude but to all of you who worked or still work in the field of media what have you done to spread the word about this horrible condition?????

Sure you know the right people who could help just like the rest of us in our professions know who to go to.
It's all who you know and not what you know!

 

The ABC covers the topic of tinnitus quite regularly.

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/bodysphere/the-ringing-that-has-no-answer/5733350

http://blogs.abc.net.au/sa/2013/09/ive-got-what-tinnitus.html

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/breakfast/science-with-chris-smith-tinnitus/6574382