The media engages in widespread misinformation through biased media coverage on nutrition.

Per a 2023 Gallup survey, 4% of Americans identify as vegetarian (and some studies find that about half of those admit to eating fish and meat from time to time) and 1% identify as vegan.

Small numbers.

But “plant-based” eating represents about 20-40% of diet-related media stories (varies depending on the media outlet).

Others have also noticed the media distortion of reality: The Truth About the Diet Trends: Insights from Consumer Surveys – Displayr. (See also: Exploring US Diet Trends | Displayr). The media distortion becomes further amplified by people sharing these nonsense stories on social media. This shaped the public’s perception that “plant-based eating” is a growing market segment – when in fact, it has shrunk (18 years earlier, Gallup had 6% and 2% for their pecentages).

The media does this because they get many of their ideas from press releases, pushed by food vendors.

They’ve tied the concept into “health”, “climate change”, “sustainability”, and sometimes animal welfare and celebrity news.

There are far fewer stories about the DASH diet or the Mediterranean diet (which is not even truly Mediterranean), either of which has some validity.