Category Archives: Media-related issues

Let’s have some balance in breast cancer screening discussions

November 19, 2009 – 10:24 am

Reaction to the recent study suggesting breast cancer screening leads to significant over-diagnosis and unnecessary treatment has been, as you might expect, quite mixed.
Some of the most critical comments have come from breast cancer consumer advocates – overtones, perhaps, of how prostate cancer consumer groups have sometimes reacted to evidence about the potential harms of [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in cancer, consumer health information, screening | Comments (0)

Reads of the week

November 13, 2009 – 11:48 am

I know, I know – we’re all too busy, no time to read etc – but here are a few articles from recent times that are worth the effort, if you haven’t spotted them already. They cover everything from the health impacts of inequality to mental health, alcohol policy, and the ties that bind pharma [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in Health inequalities, Journal articles, alcohol, conflicts of interest, global health, health & medical marketing, health and medical education, pharmaceutical industry, public health | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

Taking the panic out of pandemic….

November 12, 2009 – 11:22 am

This investigation from The Atlantic, raising many questions about the merits of influenza vaccination and the pandemic response generally, is worth reading for a few reasons.
Firstly, the authors, investigative journalists Shannon Brownlee and Jeanne Lenzer are at the cutting edge of showing there is a place for philanthropic and not-for-profit funding of health journalism. The [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in influenza, public health | Tagged , , | Comments (4)

There is more to the GP super clinic story than you might have heard

November 11, 2009 – 1:24 pm

It’s been interesting to watch how the various media outlets have been reporting on a campaign by a group of GPs against super clinics, including a protest staged in western Sydney this week.
Many of the reports, whether in the local or the national press seemed to uncritically buy the GPs’ line that super clinics will [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in general practice, health reform | Tagged , , , | Comments (9)

Want to see a real food war? This is the stoush to watch

November 6, 2009 – 6:08 pm

In case you missed it, there’s been a minor food spat going on at Crikey. When the nutritionist, Dr Rosemary Stanton, called for foods to be taxed according to their carbon footprint, this, predictably enough, got right up the noses of the Australian Food and Grocery Council, as well as their friends at the Institute [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in Food, climate change, obesity, public health | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (4)

Has cancer screening been oversold? Cancer Council responds

October 22, 2009 – 6:56 pm

The New York Times, as previously mentioned, is reporting a shift in screening policy at the the American Cancer Society, which is now saying that the benefits of early detection of  many cancers, especially breast and prostate, have been “overstated”.
“We don’t want people to panic,” Dr Otis Brawley, the Society’s chief medical officer told the [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in cancer, consumer health information, screening | Tagged , , | Comments (2)

Has medical journalism sold its soul?

October 21, 2009 – 7:17 pm

That’s the title of an opinion piece that an American professor of medicine, Nortin Hadler, has written for ABC News in the US.
Hadler argues that “health journalism is more beleaguered than most other specialties by the financial crunch that faces the entire Fourth Estate”, and is particularly alarmed by the influence of sophisticated medical marketing [...]

By Croakey | Tagged | Comments (3)

Did your doctor, nurse or pharmacist get paid to give talks for Merck?

October 21, 2009 – 9:19 am

If you lived in the US, you’d know.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Merck has just released its list of payments to doctors for giving talks at promotional events. The list also includes some nurses, pharmacists and scientists.
The payments range from $150 to more than $20,000.
The paper reports that many drug companies are moving to [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in health & medical marketing, nurses and nursing, pharmaceutical industry, pharmacy | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Can we PLEASE kill off Nanny? Now?

October 20, 2009 – 4:26 pm

Yesterday there was some debate in the House of Reps on the Government’s plans to establish the Australian National Preventive Health Agency, and we will be hearing more anon. You can download the Bill here.
The advent of the Agency presents another predictable opportunity for a predictably boring debate about the “nanny state”, as per this [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in prevention, public health, tobacco control | Comments (2)

Fear and loathing at Katoomba Hospital

October 16, 2009 – 1:40 pm

As mentioned previously, some staff at Katoomba Hospital in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney have set up an anonymous blog to draw public attention to concerns that they’re not allowed to raise in public.
Not surprisingly, the heavies are cracking down. Here is a brief report from the “who will speak for us” group:
“Things have [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in Hospitals | Comments (0)