It’s been said that media coverage of the Terri Schiavo case was disastrous. Now we know how bad:

Looking at The New York Times, The Washington Post, the St.-Petersburg Times and The Tampa Tribune, the research team, led by Eric Racine, PhD, of the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal, found that 21% of articles claimed, incorrectly, Ms Shiavo’s condition would improve (it didn’t).

The paper concluded that articles stressed the “entertainment” angle of the situation, to the detriment of scientific facts and discussions with reputable physicians.

Irresponsible, but understandable give the rapid decline of traditional newspapers. You can’t let facts get in the way of a good story.