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In a lawsuit last month against drug manufacturer Merck, the plaintiff introduced a 'peer reviewed journal' strongly supportive of Merck drugs. The ‘journal’, it turned out, was paid for by Merck and its peer-review status was a fraud. Since then, six other journals have been revealed – all falsely identified as peer reviewed. Dr. Peter Lurie of Public Citizen explains how journal publishers and drug companies work together.
Twenty years ago this week 60 Minutes introduced much of the country to Alar, a chemical used to make apples ripen on time. They argued that Alar was also an unregulated carcinogen, after which a panic ensued. Food journalist Michael Pollan argues that the fallout from the Alar scare is still all around us and the real story of what happened is in need of retelling.
News reports on climate change now have the tone of certainty that global warming is upon us. But there is anything but certainty when it comes to the cost of action. Shorenstein Fellow Eric Pooley says the media don't scrutinize the economic projections of pro-business groups, who rig their models to say climate change legislation will break the bank.
Being a brilliant scientist doesn't always translate into being a good talking head on television or even a good source for a science reporter. So the Aldo Leopold Leadership Program at Stanford University was created to give scientists a better understanding of how to deal with the media. Program director Pam Matson explains what goes on at their training camp.
A journalists’ non-disclosure of millions of dollars in pharmaceutical company payments is an obvious conflict of interest case. But Gary Schwitzer, director of the University of Minnesota’s Health Journalism Program, explains that what’s ailing news consumers is all the other subtle, insidious ways that Big Pharma’s influence turns up in the news we use.
Pharmaceutical companies spend millions on marketing. Some of those dollars end up in the hands of doctors, researchers and in one case, a public radio host from "The Infinite Mind." An article in Slate back in May led to an investigation by Sen. Charles Grassley, whose findings ended up in a New York Times piece last week. We spoke with NPR's David Folkenflik and Sen. Grassley about the controversy.
Correction: Brooke and Bob make a correction to this story.
A journalist’s non-disclosure of millions in pharmaceutical company payments is an obvious conflict of interest. But Gary Schwitzer, director of the University of Minnesota’s Health Journalism Program, explains that what’s ailing news consumers is all the other subtle, insidious ways that Big Pharma’s influence turns up in the news we use.
Energy independence should be a topic for wide-ranging discussion about science, economics, and lifestyle. But David Fiderer, an energy banker and Huffington Post blogger, says reporters are allowing politicians to hijack the conversation, making it about left and right all the while leaving reality out of the picture.
