By
reviewing health news coverage every day, we are able to see big
pictures of clear patterns unfolding that the casual day-to-day news
consumer may miss.One picture is quite clear. The morning health news segments on ABC, CBS and NBC do the following regularly:
• Unquestioningly promote new drugs and new technologies
• Feed the “worried well” by raising unrealistic expectations of unproven technologies that may produce more harm than good
• Fail to ask tough questions
• Make any discussion of health care reform that much more difficult
He then lists some of the network news
segments that back up those perceptions. Here are a few recent examples
with Schwitzer’s comments:CBS Early Show
“Three heart tests every woman should know about”
June 18, 2009
“Classic
morning show health news garbage — confusing screening and diagnostic
tests and confusing viewers. And a glaring error on the CBS website
claims that heart scans had no radiation! On which planet?”ABC’s Good Morning America
“Breakthrough obesity drug”
July 21, 2009“Miscasts
an experimental obesity Rx as potential ‘silver bullet’ for people
wanting to drop a few pounds. Oddly refers to interviewee’s potential
conflicts of interest as evidence of expertise. Huh?”
I swear you’d be just as well-informed watching Oprah promote colon cleansing as you would watching the typical Today Show-type horseshit. Watching this shit every day has got to be a seriously depressing job, so hats off toHealthNewsReview.
A.
i don’t know how people can watch that silly dreck. i try to catch BBC america’s antique roadshow. their stuff is so OLD. heck, i don’t do ANY teevee gnews.
A,
You’ve got to give over some of your space to Chris Ahearn of Reuters, whodoes not think teh internets is killing the newspaper.
Quote: “… the Internet isn’t killing the news business any more than TV killed radio or radio killed the newspaper. Incumbent business leaders in news haven’t been keeping up.”
Love,
M
Watching any form of TV news is just like listening to Rush Limbaugh–it’s all corporate-approved propaganda designed to feed the great profit idol. I don’t even bother to turn it on. I suggest that all liberals/progressives/intelligent moderates/socialist agitators (my group) simply refuse to turn in, especially if you’re a Nielsen Ratings viewer. Once viewership for this crap dries up, it will disappear. We see it working for unfunny sitcoms and boring dramas–why can’t we just turn off this corporate dreck?
What gets me is how the information seems served with terror to get your attention usually combined with the idea that you are at special risk because you are a member of some group.
4 out of 5 women don’t know to do the one thing that will save them from being attacked by Welsh vampire rabbits.
If you don’t know this, it could affect your life.
no welsh vampire rabbits here.
I’m part Welsh, and I know how to deal w/vampires…it’s the bunny part of the equation that spooks me, I mean – I saw “Monty Python & the Holy Grail”…terrifying powers those things have!!!!