NY Times Health Blog : Blaming the Media for Gardasil Hype

[mhatrw]

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/29/blaming-the-media-for-gardasil-hype

* ABC’s Charles Gibson told viewers “this breakthrough couldn’t come soon enough,” on the June 8, 2006 “World News Tonight.”

* NBC’s Brian Williams called Gardasil a “triumph in science and medicine” on June 8, 2006. He referred to Gardasil as “the first vaccine to prevent cancer” on Dec. 28, 2006, and urged parents to get their children vaccinated in many “Today” appearances.

* NBC’s “Today” show co-host Meredith Vieira declared that it “could save your teenager’s life some day” on Sept. 15, 2006. She also told viewers Gardasil was one of the three vaccines kids “need.” Dr. Nancy Snyderman, NBC’s chief medical editor, downplayed criticism of the expense of Gardasil, calling the $360 cost “the best investment you can make.”

* For “The Early Show” on CBS, Dr. Emily Senay said Jan. 1, 2007, that the “top medical breakthrough has to be the cancer vaccine for cervical cancer, Gardasil.”

* The report also says The New York Times “glowingly profiled Gardasil” in an August 2006 story about the history of the vaccine.

[antigop]

1. What are Merck's NBC ,ABC, and CBS ad budgets? n/t

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

2. Clearly Charles Gibson, Brian Williams, Meredith Viera are all shills for big pharma.

Since you have accused those of us that disagree with you on this subject for being paid shills sent here by big pharma, imagine the payouts they had to make to these celebs.

David

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

8. felt the need to make up stuff ? still making false personal attacks

Project much?

Cite where I have accused you of being a paid shill please.

Re read my post instead of trying to re write it Davie.

As for those talking heads, I already addressed it by saying they are lazy stenographers, not journalists..

How about censoring the critics, Davie:

"A way to stop the Gardasil threads, maybe. Fire_Medic_Da... Thu Aug-28-08 06:15 PM "
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=222&topic_id=43746&mesg_id=43746

I don't need to change my DU screen name to Fire_Medic_Jane or DU_MD to have the right to express my
skepticism of a new vaccine that has injured some girls.

IF I want to know why Gardasil is making some girls sick, and has killed some girls, then I will continue to raise the issue until I get some answers.

Attacking me won't change the facts, but you persist.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

9. My response was not to any post of yours, please pay attention.

So I never accused you of saying I was a paid shill, but the OP has on as have others here. Additionally asking people for their credentials isn't censorship. Really can you try and pay attention, it gets tiresome walking you through these issues.

David

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

10. oh gee, I guess you need to tie your posts to whomever you are accusing

because you totally screwed up your other attempt to harass or shame me.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

11. I did, please get some assistance in regards to your reading comprehension.

My response to the original post reads, "Since you have accused those of us that disagree with you". The "you" in that sentence is a response to the original poster, mhatrw. So unless you are posting under 2 different ID's then I couldn't have been accusing you under any reading of the post.

David

[mhatrw]

13. No, clearly they are all paragons of journalistic integrity! n/t

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

3. The lazy media scarfed up the press releases on the "cancer vaccine" and didn't do its job

and yes, the media was part of the hype, and probably is changing direction in
proportion to the public backlash against this vaccine, because of the adverse reactions and
deaths.

So if the media had done its job and not been stenographers for Big Pharma,
Merck wouldn't have gotten what amounts to a fortune in free advertisement on these
tv shows and in papers.

[TZ]

5. Has it ever occured to you

That the MEDIA is overblowing the "adverse reactions" and "deaths" associated with this vaccine? Hmm? You telling me the Media won't overhype the bad part. Oh I'm sorry, the media's only bad when it goes agaisnt your personal "belief" (which has little to do with actual fact).
Funny how this "deadly" vaccine is being successfully implemented in Australia school girls and other countries as well. Want to tell me how thats different? Maybe because they are not so scientifically illiterate down there as we are here?

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

6. Australia: "Safety of Cervical Cancer Vaccine Questioned" - anaphylaxis reported

Gisborne Herald. Friday, 22 August 2008
By Jessica Wauchop

However, questions have been asked in Australia, where a number of Gardasil recipients say they suffered anaphylaxis, a severe reaction which can lead to a rapid pulse, profuse sweating, laboured breathing and unconsciousness.

A total of 1013 suspected adverse events following injections of Gardasil were reported in Australia by June this year - the free immunisation schedule was announced in December 2006.
http://www.gisborneherald.co.nz/Default.aspx?s=3&s1=2&id=4825

[TZ]

4. Wow. Guess those Aussie scientists are powerful!!

They control our media too..since this vaccine is NOT MERCK's invention ITS THEIRS--and btw, the scientist who invented it was honored as Australian of the Year, 2006. Silly Aussie's always promoting that silly SCIENCE thing.
And none of the above posters have ANY scientific knowledge or they would have known this vaccine was hailed as a breakthrough by the scientific community long before the name "gardasil" was attatched to it.
Silly me, I'm just a biologist what do I know....

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

7. Science is to question. what Merck is doing is marketing

even to the sorry state of selling "charms" and beach towels.

Marketing isn't science.

[Hannah Bell]

12. The mechanics of profit & politics work the same everywhere.

"Dr Gunn says he was not expecting any controversy when he made the remarks...

But CSL clearly believed he had stepped over the line and complained directly to the university's top administrator, secretary and registrar Douglas Porter, who in turn wrote to Dr Gunn...

One of his colleagues, science ethicist Professor Wayne Hall, is asking why the University of Queensland was so keen to please its corporate partner...

"I don't have a problem with the increased private funding, but I think we do have to have clear rules on the right of academics to speak out, even on topics which may be the disadvantage of the university from a financial point of view," he said."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/05/16/2246567.htm


Just because someone got an award or something is a "breakthrough" doesn't mean it's beneficial, & doesn't mean it's being used or marketed beneficially.