I was interviewed by Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s “White Coat, Black Art” program about news coverage of the much ballyhooed “Zamboni procedure” for multiple sclerosis. That interview kicks off the first program of the first full season of the “White Coat, Black Art” program on CBC this weekend, but an audio portion of the program is now posted on the CBC website.
At the same time, I’m kicking myself for not yet having read my friend Carl Elliott’s new book, “White Coat, Black Hat: Adventures on the Dark Side of Medicine.” Elliott, a leading voice in bioethics, turned over creation of a book-promoting website to his brother, who built one of the funniest spoofs of a book-promoting-website you’ll ever see.
In possible deference to Strunk & White’s, “The Elements of Style” and its call for omitting needless words, the site wows you with this introductory high-pressure sales pitch:
White Coat Black Hat is a book. It is about doctors and drugs and bad guys.
Also, it is about doctors who become bad guys (they sell drugs).
If this sounds interesting to you, go to Amazon.com and buy the book there.
We will update this page whenever Carl gets around to sending us something (like a copy of the book, for example. Or a summary. Or blurbs. Or anything). For now, we’ll just make stuff up.
A white hat to both Carl (for the book) and his brother (for the spoof).
Opinions on other issues in news, journals, PR, advertising, marketing
Puleeeeease... this 'game changer' weight loss drug causes more nausea and vomiting than a placebo. Some game, some change. My friend Gary would spank you for using the eighth word medical reporters should never, ever use. @garyschwitzer @thackerpd
https://www.healthnewsreview.org/toolkit/just-journalists-writing-tips-case-studies/7-words-and-more-you-shouldnt-use-in-medical-news/ https://twitter.com/OttawaCitizen/status/1361426796126830597
A scary @statnews Op-Ed warns that govt attempts to rein in Pharma may cut off access to "life-changing" drugs.
It takes @garyschwitzer to let us know: the author spent 10 years as Pfizer's public-policy chief. https://twitter.com/garyschwitzer/status/1360325022578053123
.@TranspariMED criticizes STAT op-ed for not disclosing pharma funding of author’s institute - similar to criticism we’ve made of STAT op-eds in the past. @transparify @ThinkTankWatch @icer_review https://www.healthnewsreview.org/2021/02/transparency-watchdog-criticizes-stats-non-disclosure-on-pro-pharma-op-ed/
Comments
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Britt Elliott
September 8, 2010 at 11:26 amWhat spoof?
Smileatfear
September 8, 2010 at 3:00 pmThe reputation of doctors is going the way of used car salesmen and politicians. Time for doctors to police their own and recognize that they must avoid even the appearance of conflicts of interest. No doctor should be prescribing a drug that they helped develop or for which they have become a paid spokesman. Judges and lawyers recuse themselves for less.
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