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Blue M&M's may cure paralysis! That’s just one claim made recently in a health segment on network TV. For more than three years, HealthNewsReview.org editor Gary Schwitzer has been methodically reviewing TV health news claims for accuracy and responsibility. But no more; he’s found the vast majority of TV consumer health reports sickening.
According to Gary Schwitzer, there are a few TV M.D.’s who are trying to do good work. Dr. Jonathan LaPook , medical correspondent for "The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric" is one of them. He explains how he struggles to do more with less.
Cyberchondria refers to the practice of using Internet search engines to wrongly diagnose oneself with serious illnesses. Carolyn Butler, columnist for The Washington Post, talks about how cyberchondria came to be and she discusses her own bout with the dread disease.
If you planned this year to celebrate National Headache Awareness Week, you’ve already missed your chance. But don’t fret – the country’s health observances calendar is slated with more than 200 awareness days and weeks and months to satisfy even the choosiest of hypochondriacs. Be hip, be informed and be aware! In 2006, Bob explored the latest health craze.
The Disney Corporation recently announced that it'll offer a full refund for parents who bought Baby Einstein DVDs, which are reputed to make infants smarter. Bob's excited for a new product which promises to fill the vacuum.
The National Assembly of Venezuela passed a law this month that will outlaw the sale of violent video games in the country. Journalist Clive Thompson says bans like these have more to do with political gamesmanship than preventing violence.
Last week, Comcast moved one step closer to acquiring NBC-Universal when the two companies reportedly agreed on a valuation of NBC-Universal at around $30 billion. The idea of combining distribution and content has always seemed like a good idea to media moguls, but Craig Moffett, analyst at Bernstein Research, says it never really works out.
CNN's Lou Dobbs surprised his viewers this week when he announced he was leaving the network after three decades. While speculation is circulating about where he'll land, we revisit this 2006 interview in which Bob asked Dobbs how he gets away with advocating from behind the anchor desk.
Highlights from Past Shows
The US is (unofficially) at war in Pakistan, where reporters face pressure to cover the search for Al Qaeda in the Taliban stronghold of South Waziristan. But the area is virtually inaccessible to most journalists and information is tightly controlled by the Pakistani military. Journalist Shahan Mufti says reporting from the region poses several ethical dilemmas.
The Medill Journalism School and the Cook County District Attorney in Chicago are locked in a legal battle over a murder investigation conducted by Medill students as part of the Innocence Project. The DA has subpoenaed the students' academic records. Medill Dean John Lavine says the students are journalists, protected under the Illinois Shield Law.
On the Media is funded by The Bydale Foundation, The Ford Foundation, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Overbrook Foundation.
