Headline of the Day, perhaps the Month

New Study Shows Pervasive Inaccuracies in Television Storylines Cost Lives

Well, the mind reels.

One wonders how seeing a fat lout with a hot wife on “According to Jim” actually leads to innocents dying, or how the fact that no one can really bend the time-space continuum like they do on “Heroes” takes a toll on precious human beings, or how the mismatched-buddy comedy “Hannity & Colmes” turns Hilary Clinton into a flesh-eating chupacabra results in mass graves in remote desert regions.

But you know what? It’s even stranger than that:

“(O)rgan donation appeared as a primary storyline on entertainment television in more than 80 television episodes. … (N)one of these appearances presented organ donation in an accurate or positive light. The most commonly portrayed inaccuracies are black markets for organs, doctors not saving a potential donor's life, organs being stolen from people and people with money receive higher priority on waiting lists. … (I)naccurate storylines about organ and tissue donation stop people from registering as organ donors. … Thousands of people are waiting for a life-saving organ and we have to assure they are not waiting longer and dying at higher rates because of inaccuracies on television.”

Here are the shows included in the study: ER, Law and Order, Grey’s Anatomy, House, CSI, Crossing Jordan, Lost, Medium, As the World Turns, All My Children, One Life to Live, Malcolm in the Middle, The Simpsons, Yes Dear, Will & Grace, and Just Shoot Me.

All of which, coincidentally, are personal sources for consultation when making my own organ-donor decisions.