This Global News article presents recent findings published in the New England Journal of Medicine regarding the apparent ineffectiveness of hydroxychloroquine in preventing COVID-19. The researchers conducted a double-blind study on a group of individuals at high-risk for exposure to COVID-19 to determine if hydroxychloroquine could be used to reduce their risk of contracting the virus. Their results indicated that it did not seem to be an effective use of the drug. The author of this article, Jean-Benoit Legault, does an excellent job of describing the research process, from recruitment of participants to the results of the study. He avoids the use of any unexplained scientific jargon, making the findings accessible to a large audience. Furthermore, Legault remains neutral throughout and includes multiple quotes from the researchers themselves, making sure not to exaggerate any claims made or stray from the original findings. Moreover, he presents the reader with the potential applications for these findings and additional studies that will attempt to address the remaining unknowns. On the other hand, the author does not include sources from outside the research article, preventing the reader from reflecting on the validity of the claims made. Additionally, this article is slightly lacking in terms of accessibility. The author’s name is available, but no contact information or details are provided, making it difficult to eliminate the possibility of bias on his part. Additionally, there is no link to the original research article which makes it more challenging for the reader to identify any misinterpretation of the findings. Finally, there are quite a few advertisements present throughout the article which detract from the reading experience.
As the world has been driven into a global-scale pandemic, many individuals have focused their efforts towards a cure. In an article for Global News, Jean-Benoit Legault discusses the results of an international study seeking to understand the pharmacological impact of the malaria-drug, hydroxychloroquine. The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, concluded that “hydroxychloroquine is not effective in preventing the development of COVID-19” during the viral incubation period of those who have had high-risk exposure. The author does a flawless job at accurately presenting not only the results of the study, but also the study design in which it was conducted. Quotations derived from principal investigators in this research accurately reflect the process of scientific inquiry through concrete statistics surrounding the collected sampling criteria and conclusions. Moreover, Legault uses a highly suitable vernacular that could be easily understood by a general audience all the while maintaining appropriate scientific language. Stemming directly from the previous statement, it should be noted that the author uses this language in such a manner that does not confuse correlation with causation. Overarchingly, these aforementioned factors provide a highly truthful and insightful perspective of this scientific study in a manner that is accessible. Despite accurate reporting, there remained minor shortcomings with the article itself. Primarily, while Legault can be clearly identified as the author, there is a lack of contact information and other publications. Without this information readily available, a challenge is posed in evaluating the credibility of his reporting. Additionally, it is worth mentioning that numerous advertisements appear through the article feed and as such, were very disruptive to the reading audience. While there are a few minor weaknesses to presentation of the article itself, Legault presented this current scientific news with accuracy and accessibility. The views expressed by the reviewers for this article are not endorsed or shared by SciFeye. The interpretation of the review of the news story using the SciFeye Index was done independently by two SciFeye reviewers. We encourage you to conduct your own evaluation of the accuracy and quality of the news story using the Index.
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