Stephanie Maris,, Ryerson Review of Journalism

Why the wellness beat has become an unappetizing blend of sensational headlines, mixed messages and unhealthy reporting

« …[I]n many ways health reporting has come to mimic tabloid entertainment: stories on nutrition, fitness and lifestyle are ubiquitous and hard to sift through, which makes it difficult to separate fact from fiction. The result is a cycle of (often inaccurate) “bad for you » and “next big thing » stories that risk discrediting the entire health beat. On top of that, in place of real health help, readers and viewers are left following a potentially harmful “Media Diet » based on miracle cures, fad diets, superfoods and food scares. »