Sharon Kirkey

Sharon Kirkey is a National Post columnist and reporter who has been covering health issues for more than two decades. She joined the newspaper in 2013 after working as an award-winning health writer at The Canadian Press. Her stories have appeared in numerous publications, including The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, CBC News and Reuters Health.

Biography:  https://nationalpost.com/author/skirkey/

57%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermines the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
Analysis.OverallConflictOfInterestScore * 0.3F + Analysis.OverallBiasScore * 0.3F + Analysis.DeceptivenessScore * 0.3F + Analysis.ReadabilityScore * 0.1F

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

The Daily's Verdict

This author has a mixed reputation for journalistic standards. It is advisable to fact-check, scrutinize for bias, and check for conflicts of interest before relying on the author's reporting.

Bias

85%

Examples:

  • The author uses sensationalism when they state 'New research suggests the risk of traffic fatalities during the period before and after a solar eclipse', which implies that it is directly related to the solar eclipse.
  • The title implies that solar eclipses directly cause an increase in deaths from a surprising cause. However, this is not supported by the body of the article which states that Canadian research suggests that during a total solar eclipse on April 8th there will be about one extra person involved in a vehicle crash every 25 minutes and one extra crash fatality every 95 minutes.

Conflicts of Interest

50%

Examples:

  • Dr. Shady Ashamalla remembers them all, vividly: Young people in their 20s or 30s
  • Young people are getting other cancers, too

Contradictions

85%

Examples:

  • The title implies that young people under 50 are getting cancer at an alarmingly high rate when in fact it only mentions colorectal cancers and briefly touches on other types of cancer.
  • Young people under 50 are getting cancer at an increasing rate.

Deceptions

30%

Examples:

  • The article does not mention any sources or studies that support the title's assertion.
  • The author does not provide any evidence for the claim that young people under 50 are getting cancer at an increasing rate.

Recent Articles

2 Million New Cancer Cases Projected in U.S. by 2024, with Colon and Rectal Cancers on the Rise Among Young People

2 Million New Cancer Cases Projected in U.S. by 2024, with Colon and Rectal Cancers on the Rise Among Young People

Broke On: Wednesday, 31 January 2024 The American Cancer Society projects a record 2 million new cancer cases in the US by 2024, with six of the top 10 cancers expected to rise. Colon and rectal cancers are becoming increasingly common in young people due to sedentary lifestyles, obesity, diabetes, lack of physical activity, and processed foods. Despite guidelines recommending screening at 45, doctors like Dr. Sarah Fox have seen cases in younger adults. The Blue Ribbon Run is a nonprofit raising awareness about colon cancer signs and symptoms through events like 5k races.