Happy birthday to me…
Rather than a long-winded and whiney essay, on my birthday I thought I’d just catch up on a few developments. Mostly good stuff, but not entirely.
Last weekend Marlene and I spent a few days in California, primarily to celebrate my mom’s birthday. But we got in an extra day in the Napa Valley, that adult Disneyland for those inclined to eat too much and pay too much for wine.
Our winery stops included Patz and Hall, located in an unlikely technology park at the south end of the valley. No rolling hills or singing birds, but the wines—exclusively chardonnays and pinot noirs—more than made up for the lack of a view; as did the small food pairings. Then on to Robert Hall, a new venue for us, where we bought several dark and fruit-filled zinfandels and cabernets. Finally, an old favorite, Newton Cellars, located at the tippy-top of Spring Mountain with a view that truly defines the Napa indulgence. Again spectacular chardonnay, cabs and their secret potion, “The Puzzle” that shape-shifts every year, but is always wonderful.
Dinner was at one of our favorite restaurants, Auberge du Soleil, with breathtaking food, breathtaking views and breathtaking prices. Oh well, we only get out to Napa once a year.
##
While in California I finished Robert Hatcher’s The Black Death, a semi-fictional account of the bubonic plague epidemic of 1345-1349, told from the perspective of an English village and its priest. There’s a lot to be learned from an epidemic that killed 40 percent of European inhabitants and helped change the social structure of the continent. But it worries me that I am so fascinate by it.
##
Just finished reading the profile of Politico’s Mike Allen in The New York Times Magazine. It’s titled “The Man the White House Wakes Up To,” and it’s a terrific. I discovered Allen early in the 2008 presidential primary campaign, and quickly became addicted to his short and pithy observations.
##
Yes, it’s my birthday today, and thank you for those who sent notes (mainly on Facebook). Marlene has invited a few friends over, so we will test-fly those Patz and Hall zinfandels.
##
Finally, learned that my former colleague Dr. Bruce Dan has been diagnosed with acute myelocytic leukemia. He’s blogging about experience on the other end of the stethoscope at www.brucedan.wordpress.com. He’s a powerful guy, a powerful writer and a keen observer about medicine in America. Check out his blog and wish him well.
Me
Better late than never, completed my MS at Boston University
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
On the New York Times Health and Medical Coverage
The New York Times Reader: Health and Medicine
The week before last I attended a book launch party for Tom Linden, MD, director of the University of North Carolina’s health journalism program and author of The New York Times Reader on Health and Medicine (CQ Press). Linden has also been a contributing journalist with CNBC and Lifetime Medical Television (I believe I first met him more than 25 years ago when I represented Lifetime). Thanks to my pal and colleague Merrill Rose for inviting me.
For those of us interested in the nexus of medical sciences and journalism, this book should float to the top of the gotta have list. It links some of The Times best articles on medicine with analysis of what goes into journalism and interviews with some of The Times primo science reporters, including Dr. Larry Altman, Gina Kolata and Tara Parker Pope.
Lately I have been thinking how rickety is the same-old same-old approach to public relations: jimmy up that inverted pyramid press release (properly de-souled by the legal and regulatory exorcists), spay it out to the “mass media” and hope for the best. Or calling said mass media and pleading for coverage.
The Times writers, speaking through Linden, talk in detail how their articles are inspired, nurtured and created, using many sources of inspiration and sources of facts and opinion. It’s not that public relations folks cannot help created news articles, but the press release is not often the calling card. Instead it’s individualized pitching providing unique, new and perhaps counter-intuitive angles.
Several of the articles reprinted take to task the pharmaceutical industry for promoting off-label drug use (and yes, we have been guilty of this) and cooking studies or finding (again, it’s been known to happen). But only rarely in this good book has Linden or the reporters he interviewed cast a mirror on themselves by suggesting that they too may have personal biases that they must control like personal demons.
He cites Alex Berenson’s 2006 article on Eli Lilly’s alleged off-label promotion of Zyprexa for dementia, which led ultimately to a $1.42 billion fine. The article was illuminating and a great instrument of journalism; but his sources included plaintiff attorneys that had their own axes to grind. Not pointed out by Berenson.
Hats off however to Tara Parker Pope who admits that it’s not just Big Pharma that reporters should be skeptical of: “…we automatically assume a layer of skepticism about anything that is funded by the pharmaceutical industry. Yet we don’t apply that layer of skepticism to research that is funded by the government, by NIH. There’s always an agenda with every piece of research.”
While every reporter seeks that “great quote” that neatly summarizes a developing story, sometimes a second look is prudent, especially in medical reporting. Gina Kolata famously reported a dinner-party remark by James Watson that Judah Folkman “was going to cure cancer.” On reflection, she admits that she should have called him the day after to reconfim the quote. Yes he said it over din-din, but that doesn’t mean that it exactly expresses his sober judgment.
I worry that great medical journalism is in peril—at the signing party Dr. Altman told me he’s taken The Times buy-out and will only occasionally contribute to the great newspaper. As curmudgeonly as he is, we need guys like him, and books like Linden’s to put it all in perspective.
# # #
The week before last I attended a book launch party for Tom Linden, MD, director of the University of North Carolina’s health journalism program and author of The New York Times Reader on Health and Medicine (CQ Press). Linden has also been a contributing journalist with CNBC and Lifetime Medical Television (I believe I first met him more than 25 years ago when I represented Lifetime). Thanks to my pal and colleague Merrill Rose for inviting me.
For those of us interested in the nexus of medical sciences and journalism, this book should float to the top of the gotta have list. It links some of The Times best articles on medicine with analysis of what goes into journalism and interviews with some of The Times primo science reporters, including Dr. Larry Altman, Gina Kolata and Tara Parker Pope.
Lately I have been thinking how rickety is the same-old same-old approach to public relations: jimmy up that inverted pyramid press release (properly de-souled by the legal and regulatory exorcists), spay it out to the “mass media” and hope for the best. Or calling said mass media and pleading for coverage.
The Times writers, speaking through Linden, talk in detail how their articles are inspired, nurtured and created, using many sources of inspiration and sources of facts and opinion. It’s not that public relations folks cannot help created news articles, but the press release is not often the calling card. Instead it’s individualized pitching providing unique, new and perhaps counter-intuitive angles.
Several of the articles reprinted take to task the pharmaceutical industry for promoting off-label drug use (and yes, we have been guilty of this) and cooking studies or finding (again, it’s been known to happen). But only rarely in this good book has Linden or the reporters he interviewed cast a mirror on themselves by suggesting that they too may have personal biases that they must control like personal demons.
He cites Alex Berenson’s 2006 article on Eli Lilly’s alleged off-label promotion of Zyprexa for dementia, which led ultimately to a $1.42 billion fine. The article was illuminating and a great instrument of journalism; but his sources included plaintiff attorneys that had their own axes to grind. Not pointed out by Berenson.
Hats off however to Tara Parker Pope who admits that it’s not just Big Pharma that reporters should be skeptical of: “…we automatically assume a layer of skepticism about anything that is funded by the pharmaceutical industry. Yet we don’t apply that layer of skepticism to research that is funded by the government, by NIH. There’s always an agenda with every piece of research.”
While every reporter seeks that “great quote” that neatly summarizes a developing story, sometimes a second look is prudent, especially in medical reporting. Gina Kolata famously reported a dinner-party remark by James Watson that Judah Folkman “was going to cure cancer.” On reflection, she admits that she should have called him the day after to reconfim the quote. Yes he said it over din-din, but that doesn’t mean that it exactly expresses his sober judgment.
I worry that great medical journalism is in peril—at the signing party Dr. Altman told me he’s taken The Times buy-out and will only occasionally contribute to the great newspaper. As curmudgeonly as he is, we need guys like him, and books like Linden’s to put it all in perspective.
# # #
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)