This story was poorly reported in the media, with all headlines speculating that the findings could lead to a cure for grey hair. The current study did not investigate the causes of, or possible treatments of, grey hair. However, the research focused on vitiligo, specifically looking at segmental vitiligo. Though the blame for the poor reporting of the study can be put at the door of the press office of the FASEB, which issued a press release almost entirely focused on the grey hair angle. This is a textbook example of public relations officers ‘sexing up’ a dry but worthy piece of research in order to gain maximum media coverage. And – credit where credit is due – they did an excellent job of that. Unfortunately, in doing so they obscured the truth. Whether peer-reviewed journals should be engaging in these types of disingenuous practises, which arguably damage the public understanding of science, is a matter of debate. However, FASEB are not alone in this, as recent research found that academics, journals and news reporters all share the blame for the spin found in around half of all medical reporting.
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