Health

Radio Fraudcasting

Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on

Radio listeners tuning into disk jockey Jeff Kovarsky on Dallas, Texas radio station KKMR in late 2000 could hear him extolling a magical weight-loss remedy. iIt helped me lose 36 pounds," Kovarsky said. iI ate so much over Thanksgiving, I still have turkey burps. But thanks to Body Solutions, I keep the weight off and now I'm ready for Christmas. So, bring it on, Grandma. The honey-baked ham, the apple pie, the Christmas cookies.

No
Main Source: 
Texas Observer, December 5, 2003
Topics: 
Ethics
Health
Marketing
Media

Industry Hopes to Censor Ads on Hazards of Infant Formula

Submitted by John Stauber on

"Federal officials have softened a national advertising
campaign to promote breastfeeding after complaints from two
companies that make infant formula, according to several
doctors and nurses who are helping the government with the
effort. After the two companies [Mead Johnson and Abbott] and the top officials of the American Academy of Pediatrics complained to federal health
officials, the government decided to eliminate spots
discussing the risk of leukemia and diabetes in babies not

No
Main Source: 
New York Times, December 4, 2003
Topics: 
Advertising
Corporations
Health

Breast Cancer Action Vs. Corporate "Pinkwashing"

Submitted by John Stauber on

"To draw attention to the troubling trend of corporate 'pinkwashing,' Breast Cancer Action, a national grassroots breast cancer advocacy organization, is running an ad in the national edition of the New York Times questioning some high-profile corporate marketing campaigns launched in connection with Breast Cancer Awareness Month. 'We're not opposed to companies raising money for the cause,' said Barbara Brenner, Breast Cancer Action's executive director.

No
Main Source: 
BCA news release, October 24, 2003
Topics: 
Corporations
Health
Women

Komen Foundation Carefully Manages Brand

Submitted by Laura Miller on

"The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation started with a small promise, but became a giant in the battle against breast cancer with a corporate approach to PR," PR Week reports. Part of that approach is consistency of message. "Making sure the logo and brand message are used properly by volunteer affiliates and corporate partners can be a challenge," PR Week writes. "The foundation currently is working on a perception benchmarking project to gauge consumer awareness and the brand's strengths and weaknesses, [the foundation's communications director Susan] Carter says.

No
Main Source: 
PR Week, October 6, 2003
Topics: 
Health

Drug Company Vies For Media Spotlight

Submitted by Laura Miller on

While the Food and Drug Administration is hearing testimonies on direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising of prescription drugs, one pharmaceutical giant is hoping to gets its spin on drug marketing in the news. The FDA is reviewing DTC guidelines that cover the $2.7 billion that the pharmaceutical industry now spends annually on television, radio and print advertising.

No
Main Source: 
PR Week, September 22, 2003
Topics: 
Ethics
Health
Marketing

Belated Courage

Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on

Following recent revelations that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency misled the public about air quality in New York following the 9/11 terrorist attack, the New York Daily News has been crowing about how columnist Juan González "was the first to sound the alarm" that ground zero was a toxic dump after 9/11. As Cynthia Cotts points out, however, the newspaper "was not always so crazy about González's scoop.

No
Main Source: 
Village Voice, September 10-16, 2003
Topics: 
Journalism
Terrorism
Environment
Health
U.S. Government

Dust and Deception

Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on

"Last week," notes columnist Paul Krugman, "a quietly scathing report by the inspector general of the Environmental Protection Agency confirmed what some have long suspected: in the aftermath of the World Trade Center's collapse, the agency systematically misled New Yorkers about the risks the resulting air pollution posed to their health.

No
Main Source: 
New York Times, August 26, 2003
Topics: 
Environment
Ethics
Health
U.S. Government

EPA Failed New Yorkers On Post-9/11 Air Quality

Submitted by Laura Miller on

Nearly two years after the collapse of the World Trade Center, the Environmental Protection Agency's inspector general reports that the failure of EPA officials to properly inform New Yorkers of the dangers of the fallout can be traced to inside the White House. "The news that White House staff ordered the EPA to minimize potential health dangers near Ground Zero was bad enough," NY Daily News' Juan Gonzalez writes.

No
Main Source: 
New York Daily News, August 26, 2003
Topics: 
Terrorism
Environment
Ethics
Health
U.S. Government

Hot Flush for Big Pharma

Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on

The sale of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to women is a multi-billion dollar cash cow for the pharmaceutical industry. What will its PR machine do in the face of evidence that long-term HRT use increases women's risk of blood clots, strokes, heart attacks, breast cancer, and dementia, and has no quality of life benefits?

No
Main Source: 
British Medical Journal, August 16, 2003
Topics: 
Ethics
Health
Marketing

All Roads Lead To PhRMA

Submitted by Laura Miller on

"When the House voted last week to let Americans import less expensive medicines from Canada and Europe, 53 senators signed a letter opposing the legislation, a letter that the industry trade group, which vigorously opposed the measure, hailed as proof of its argument that the bill would jeopardize patient safety," the New York Times' Sheryl Gay Stolberg reports. "What the trade group, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association, did not say, at the time, was that it helped coordinate the signature campaign. ...

No
Main Source: 
New York Times, July 30, 2003
Topics: 
Health
Lobbying
U.S. Government

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