Sure, University of Pittsburgh researcher Brian A. Primack went to great pains to say that his study linking “degrading” songs and teen sex wasn’t necessarily proof of a causative relationship between the two—”The opposite could be true, that people who have more sex then go out and seek music with degrading sexual messages,” he told a reporter—but that’s not stopping media outlets from running with Primack’s study, and running stories based on it that are topped with headlines like “Sexual lyrics in songs ups underage sex,” “‘Degrading’ rap songs drive teens to sex,” and, uh, “Song Lyrics Linked To Teeny-Boppin’.” (Yes, really.) Not that any of these reporters have read the study, or taken Primack’s seemingly sincere (but probably not, since reporters’ ignoring it gets him press) disclaimer to heart.

So what’s this guy’s deal, anyway? Glad you asked! Primack is actually charged with constructing a way to figure out a smoking media literacy scale, which is a charge he’s embraced with great gusto. His publications page lists studies he’s published, which include:

“Association of cigarette smoking and media literacy about smoking among adolescents”
“Media exposure and marijuana and alcohol use among adolescents”
“Adolescent smoking and volume of exposure to various forms of media”

… and “A content analysis of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs in popular music,” which he gave this little disclaimer to:

“It is important to note that this study does not say anything about the relationship between these exposures and behavior,” Primack cautioned. “But for the first time, we have quantified substance use in popular music and determined that it’s generally portrayed with positive consequences. The next step in our research will be to determine whether these media messages actually influence behavior.”

Which would seem to be something of a chicken-and-egg study, but then again, I’m not an academic. But studying the ecosystem between sex, drugs, and rock and roll would sure be a great career path once blogging peters out, at least in that you know that lazy reporters are going to quote you wildly out of context and hype your study as long as it has even the faintest whiff of scandal!

‘Degrading’ Lyrics Linked to Teen Sex [US News]
Pop Music Exposes Kids to Positive Portrayals of Drug, Alcohol Use, Pitt Study Finds [Pitt Chronicle]