Do French media miseducate the public about intelligence research?

Abstract This article provides an assessment of French media coverage of intelligence research. The analysis is based on articles published between 1992 and 2020 in French nationwide newspapers, local newspapers and science magazines. Two themes regularly appear in nationwide newspapers and science magazines: environmental effects on IQ and animal intelligence. High-IQ children are often covered in local newspapers. A substantial proportion of articles on the genetics of intelligence, IQ in general and behavioural genetics in general contain statements contradicting the conclusions of mainstream intelligence research; the tendency is even more pronounced in science magazines than in nationwide newspapers. Implications for relationships between scientists and journalists are discussed.