My contention is that it is rare to see in the newspapers a proper cautious approach to the dilemmas of prevention. Truth is, that the balancing of risks and benefits doesn't make that great storytelling, its too equivocal, and its too cautious for great journalism. But these careful judgements are the truth. I talk about one such story in a latter chapter in my book.

But here is a rare example. The good old New York Times in an editorial about a new lung cancer study.

Some cancer experts and advocates for lung cancer patients are hailing the dawn of a new era in which lung cancer will move from a disease that is usually fatal to one that is usually curable. So why do many experts have misgivings about recommending widespread CT scan screening?

For once it seems that the newspaper is offering the proper analyis, whilst the New England Journal of Medicine is offering a much less rigorous view.

Conclusions Annual spiral CT screening can detect lung cancer that is curable.