OBJECTIVES: The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations on which drugs the National Health Service (NHS) should fund, with cost-effectiveness being a key criterion. There have been critical media reactions toward NICE appraisals that recommend against funding drugs (particularly oncologics), perhaps the most memorable example of which relates to the funding of Herceptin in early-stage breast cancer in 2005. This research aimed to evaluate how the media currently report NICE decision-making, focussing on the NICE appraisal consultation document not recommending Kadcyla on 23^rdApril 2014 with a cost per Quality Added Life Year (QALY) >£180,000, far exceeding typical NICE approval thresholds (~£30,000/QALY). METHODS: A selection of national and regional newspaper websites, UK broadcasters, press agencies, pharmaceutical trade and medical publications were screened for any articles published between 23^rd-25^thApril 2014 regarding this NICE draft guidance from which key criteria were extracted and compared. RESULTS: CONCLUSIONS: NICE decisions not to fund oncology drugs still seem to be predominantly faced by a hostile media reception that focus more on patient reactions than the difficulties of how to allocate finite healthcare resources to best optimise care in the NHS.