Posted by Gary Schwitzer in Cancer, Health care journalism, Screening
No surprise. Just another terrible example of the one-sided – potentially harmful – information often disseminated on the network TV morning programs. See the latest review of the CBS Early Show on HealthNewsReview.org
It wraps up a very good week for former tennis star John McEnroe. But not so good for men who may have seen him on TV.
* A prime time appearance on CNN’s Larry King Live promoting prostate cancer screening
* A CBS Early Show appearance promoting prostate cancer screening
And he was getting paid all the time by a drug company – something clearly noted on the website that McEnroe promoted – but something CBS never disclosed on the air.
GlaxoSmithKline funded and helped develop this campaign, including providing compensation to Mr. McEnroe.
CBS merely turned over the network to this drug company sponsored message – a message that has the support of the American Urological Association but that lacks the support of other respected medical organizations such as the American Cancer Society and the US Preventive Services Task Force.
Shameful in its one-sided, imbalanced, incomplete approach, treating McEnroe’s message as gospel.
Disclaimer: I welcome comments but will delete those with any kind of product pitch, profanity, personal attacks or those from anyone who doesn’t list what appears to be an actual e-mail address. I will also end any thread of comments that are repetitive. Because I moderate comments, I can’t keep reacting to repeatedly inaccurate or unsubstantiated claims. We don't give medical advice so we won't respond to questions asking for it.
Treatment for advanced ovarian tumors may lengthen survival, but questions still remain, despite the story’s emphasis on “promising” and “new hope.”
As with the HealthDay story on this research that we reviewed, readers of this story get a good dose of caveats and cautions along with the suggestions that electrical brain stimulation might someday “have implications” for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
The readers of this story and the other one we reviewed by Reuters are likely to understand that electrical brain stimulation could have some memory effects, but it’s a long way from becoming a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.
We will not display your name or e-mail address on the site, nor will we share youre-mail address with any third parties.
For site updates and news from Gary, find us on Twitter:
HealthNewsReview: @HealthNewsRevu
Gary Schwitzer: @garyschwitzer
Copyright © 2012 Health News Review
Marilyn Mann posted on October 18, 2009 at 11:01 am
I’m wondering if under the Federal Trade Commission’s new guidelines, the Glaxo payment would have to be disclosed. See this blog post for a summary and a link to the FTC release:
http://www.experiencetheblog.com/2009/10/10-simple-things-to-know-about-ftcs-new.html