Jesper Odde Madsen - Danmark
Abstract of the presentation
TCIM and the Media
Branch: Other (science journalist & TCIM consultant)
“I may need some kind of unconventional treatment. Where can I get reliable information?” The answer is not always at hand. Sometimes we hear about research in TCIM treatments—on television, in newspapers or magazines. But in the mainstream media, this does not take up much space compared to research in conventional pharmaceutical products. In addition, TCIM issues are often given a tendentious negative treatment in the media, for example through interviews with doctors who are known to have a strong aversion to TCIM.
In 2023, I presented a new initiative, The Frontier Journalists’ Network (FJN). Since then, we have made quite considerable progress. One of my main tasks was to prepare a “Topic Brief” for journalists (a systematic overview of a topic) on the issue of “Covering Traditional, Complementary & Integrative Medicine (TCIM)”. We are working to provide resources to improve mainstream coverage on TCIM/CAM, as well as on other topics within our scope, e.g., the relationship between mind, body, and spirit.
However, the challenges differ depending on the specific issue at stake. Thus, when it comes to TCIM, we must take into account the opinions, interests, and scientific questions related to media coverage of TCIM when we cooperate with journalists and scientists.
All this is definitely not a piece of cake. The media is a billion-dollar industry, the FJN is mostly a non-profit project, but even small advances will be useful. The public deserves decent information about their health, without bias and independent of commercial interests. www.frontiernet.org
Curriculum vitae
Science journalist & TCIM consultant since 1998 • 2017 > Danske Terapeuter (Association of CAM practitioners) • 2015–2018 Srab.dk - Website on CAM. (Danish Patient Safety Authority, gov.) • 2009–2012 The CAMbrella network,. (EU project on CAM) • 2007–2010 Danish Society for Medical Acupuncture. • 2001 > www.galilei.dk, my own website on CAM • 2000–2001 Knowledge and research Centre for Alternative Medicine (gov.) from1998 > journalism, lectures, webmaster, books, articles about CAM The Danish School of Journalism and The University of Copenhagen
Please note that some of the texts also include machine-generated translations.
