There's a lot of misunderstanding of science due to simplified reporting. Anders Sandberg and Avi Roy have a good article on this in health

I don't think the article you linked does demonstrate that reporting produces misunderstanding. You have to think about the alternative. How does the average person form their beliefs? They might hear something from a friend. They might read the horoscope.

Even when the journalist actually writes "scientists think we need to learn more about this, and recommend use of the precautionary principle before engaging" many readers will simply read "scientists say 'don't do this" or they simply ignore it. Especially when you focus on what they actually remember from reading the article.