The Big C
The recurrence of cancer in both Tony Snow and Elizabeth Edwards brought the disease back into the news this week. Cancer historian James S. Olson explains why a disease as old as we are is just beginning to change its public image.
Health & Science
Interpreter of Maladies
The psychological trauma of war isn’t new, but the diagnosis is. “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder” was coined in 1980, and gave the medical establishment a way to understand the struggles of returning soldiers. PTSD expert Dr. Matthew Friedman explains how changing the phrase helps change the suffering.
Smoke Gets In Their Eyes
The impact of movie sex and violence on kids may be up for debate, but with smoking, the science is solid. Teens who see a lot of it are more likely to take up the habit than those who don’t. UCSF Dr. Stanton Glantz wants the MPAA to take smoking as seriously as it takes cursing.
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The Persistence of Memory
Computer scientist Gordon Bell is at the vanguard of a movement called “lifelogging,” digitally recording every moment of his day in an effort to create a complete virtual memory of his life. But why? We talk with Bell and also technology writer Clive Thompson about the implications.
Listen to Brooke's unedited interview with Clive Thompson here.
Sick With Worry
Avian flu continues to garner headlines – last week’s good, but this week’s bad. In either case, concerns about a pandemic are still real, at least judging from the press. And yet fewer than 150 people have been killed by the illness worldwide. Mike Pesca talks about media and the politics of panic with NYU professor of medicine Marc Siegel, who thinks one of the biggest threats to public health is fear.
Dangerous Extremes
For years, mainstream reporting on climate change played down the threat, by playing up the impression that the jury was still out about its causes and effects. But looking at recent media, the debate seems to have quieted down, and signs of looming apocalypse are everywhere. Advocates hail the attention, but New York Times science reporter Andrew Revkin thinks the sensational stories could ultimately backfire. He tells Brooke why it’s so hard for newspapers to get the story right.
Tunnel Vision
This week, public hearings were held on the West Virginia Sago mine disaster that gripped the country back in January. It turned out 12 of 13 miners died after first having been reported saved. The risks associated with mining rarely catch the attention of journalists – until, that is, something goes horribly wrong. Brooke speaks with Ellen Smith, editor of Mine Safety and Health News, about the response to Sago.
The truth® Hurts
Big Tobacco agreed, as part of its 1998 settlement, to fund the American Legacy Foundation and its anti-smoking truth® campaign. The deal stipulates, however, that the Legacy ads cannot "vilify" or "personally attack” the tobacco companies. But Lorillard – which makes Newport, Kent and other brands – argues in a lawsuit that truth® crossed the line. William Sorrell, Chairman of the Board of Legacy, tells Bob that it can't be vilification if it's the truth.
