Interesting that the Progressive Pulse picks up on N&R columnist Jeri Rowe’s* recent piece on Replacement Inc. founder Bob Page’s battle with prostate cancer, in the process criticizing it for demonstrating “exactly the sort of health reporting that convinces people to believe in miracle cures and quick fixes.”
In short, Rowe writes about Page’s decision to forego more traditional prostate cancer treatment in favor of High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) which is not available in the U.S. becuase it hasn’t received FDA approval. Rowe should have done a better job of questioning HIFU’s possible side effects, so says the Pulse:
I hope Page is completely cured. I hope he never has any side effects. But we have enough drug companies and medical device makers selling miracles to an unsuspecting public. They do not need the help of unquestioning reporters.
I guess they’re not familiar with Rowe’s work down in Raleigh. While he was a good reporter in his day, Rowe’s role with the N&R right now is heartwarmer/tearjerker, depending on the situation. He’s definitely not a health reporter.
As for unquestioning reporters and editors helping sell miracle cures, I’d definitely say that’s the case regarding a national health plan, right?
*I did hear through the grapevine last night that Rowe’s digging into the murder-arson on Summit Avenue earlier this month. Apparently the murder victim, William Ransom Hobbs, suddenly found himself in the middle of a domestic dispute, a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
