[Mb-civic] Nine Percent Approval Rating? US Network Television News FAILS "Big Pharma"...

[IHHS at aol.com]

Nine  Percent Approval Rating?  US Network Television News FAILS "Big  
Pharma"...  
Opinion by  Consumer Advocate _Tim  Bolen_ 
(mailto:http://www.quackpotwatch.org/opinionpieces/tim%20bolen.htm)   
Saturday,  December 10th, 2005   
In 1999  "Big Pharma" went to the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and got 
 permission to advertise drugs, drugs, and more drugs directly to the 
American  consumer.   Their intent, as it became obvious, was two things:  (1)  sell 
more drugs to the American consumer, and, (2) control the media,  especially 
US television.. 
TV network  news, it appears, got the lion's share of advertising dollars.  I 
estimate  that 55% percent of all advertising during the News Hours are paid 
for by  "Big Pharma."  More, about a third of the entire newscast, itself,  is 
focused on how wonderful your "local drug peddler" actually is.   Almost 
every night a new wonder drug (snort) is presented, that will absolutely  save 
humanity - and, of course, this never actually happens.  Network TV  news is just 
about ALL advertising hype - with the occasional brainless "car  chase - 
endlessly documented by the 3.5 million dollar ($3,500,000) network  helicopter." 
Television News departments  have sold out for the money - there is no doubt 
about that.  Even more, the  networks, beyond the news features, couldn't go 
even part of a season without  another boring TV series about life in a 
hospital - without ever mentioning that  those same hospitals are the number one (#1) 
killer of Americans, ahead of heart  disease and cancer. 
Yes, US television has sold out  to "Big Pharma."   There is no doubt about 
it.  But, the  question is "Did TV do 'Big Pharma' any good?"  And the answer 
is  "no, it did not..."  and, we can all laugh about that. 
What do I mean "no, it did  not..?"  There's an easy answer - in two parts:   
(1)  Despite the fact that  "Big Pharma" spent billions of dollars, since 
1999, on television, a  recent Harris poll shows that only nine percent (9%) of 
the American public  believes what the pharmaceutical industry says is the 
truth.  In a  recent article on Common Dreams newswire, titled _"Fact squad on  
prescription Drugs"_ (http://www.commondreams.org/news2005/1207-21.htm)  it is 
explained that: 
WASHINGTON - December 7, 2005- According to a October  2005 Harris Poll, only 
nine percent of the American public considers the  pharmaceutical industry 
generally honest and trustworthy. If perception were  reality, the prescription 
drug industry would be in Chapter 11. 
Whether it is anger at the callous  disregard for human health revealed in 
the Vioxx and SSRI scandals; irritation  with the incessant peddling of drugs 
directly to consumers and giveaways to  doctors; ire at the frustration with the 
concealment of adverse clinical trial  findings; exasperation that safe, 
cheap drugs are barred from importation from  Canada; or disgust with conflicts of 
interest in the drug approval process and  the buying of political influence, 
over 90 percent of the public views the drug  industry with suspicion. A 
majority say they want more, not less, regulation.  Indeed, industry sales are 
down this year and companies are laying off thousands  of workers. But these 
selective factoids can be deceiving: Pfizer is among the  companies cutting its 
workforce, while its profits for 2005 will be $8 billion.  Hold your pity." 
(2)  The television news  industry has hurt itself with its bald faced promo 
of drugs, drugs, and more  drugs.  The image, I think, of the average network 
news channel broadcaster  is very similar to that of those young people, male 
and female, standing on the  corner of Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood every 
night, ready to sell themselves to  anybody who'll give them the money they need 
for clothing, shelter, drugs, and  the slightest bit of approval from their 
strong-arm pimp.   
It's just that the rewards in  TV news are slightly, but not much,  higher.
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