dehype

Crazy like Fox

2008-03-24T20:14:00.000-07:00

Everybody knows that Fox News is unfair and unbalanced. But nobody ever said Roger Ailes and company aren't smart. Look how they sucked HuffingtonPost.com right in with staffers making outraged comments about Obama-bashing at their own network. Now, of course, they say it was all a joke. I say, the Chris Wallace thing was, too. Of course, here I am, posting about it. It's all show business, folks.

The Candor Campaign

2008-03-23T12:30:00.000-07:00

How many four-year cycles have we prayed for presidential candidates who speak from their cuffs? From their minds, at least, maybe even their hearts? We have one of each this year: Barack Obama and John McCain. Sorry, Hillary, you haven't done it this time -- not enough, anyway, as Frank Rich asserts.

Now we can see how it feels to hear the truth, unspun. How it makes anything less stick out like a page of typos. How it preempts media analysis, obviates it. How it sends the acid-talk-radio comedians into dithers. I'm talking about Obama's race relations speech, of course. But I also mean McCain's clarity on immigration and other sticky issues, although he's still trying to stick with the war he's stuck with, trying to keep what's left of the Republican core on his side.

We have fine people running for President this year, and we've sorted them out from the others. Nice job, voters. Tune out the punditocracy. There's plenty of evidence that nobody's been paying attention to them anyway, except themselves.

So long, Elliot Spitzer

2008-03-11T13:09:00.000-07:00

Oh, he may not quit, and probably won't be impeached, or whatever you might do to a wayward governor. But he's as gone as if he'd just signed on for a one-way trip to the space station. The most painful thing to watch yesterday was Governor Spitzer's good wife standing by his side as he read his soulless apology to assembled news types. No, she didn't look like the stand-by-your-man type. She looked solid and unbending. She was not presenting the loyal wife face. Still, there she was, showing up for public humiliation. Elliot's stupidity doesn't top Bill Clinton's, only on the basis of rank. Just once, however, I'd like to see one of these bastards show up for his press conference without the wife. She shoulda said no. You're on you own, dude.

Jarvik karma.

2008-02-29T12:04:00.000-08:00

May the phenomenon of metaphysical blow-back that has whisked Dr. (non-practicing-non-rowing) Jarvik out of our lives likewise propel Eli Lilly and Co. and their heart-rending and brilliantly scored Cymbalta TV commercials into deserved oblivion. If traffic on this Website is any measure, people are still captured and intrigued -- haunted, even -- by the quasi-classical music of these antidepressant pitches. All the direct-to-user TV advertising for prescription remedies has so muddied the practice of medicine that formerly important, potent, risk-managed drugs are now sold like Preparation H. All those mumbled voice-over warnings about side effects, including really serious, life threatening ones -- even four hour erections (you don't want to know how they fix that) -- go right past us and we run to our docs asking for them. We take responsibility for our own care, now don't we. So we have only ourselves to blame. And now that studies are saying antidpressants, maybe, work no better than sugar pills against depression, hell, we might as well be swigging Lydia E. Pinkham's. It's at least got an alcoholic side effect to make up for the taste. And has all this made us trust the FDA more? I saw a commercial that used "...and it's FDA approved..." like it was a recommendation. I'd think twice about that. Yes, bring on the karma. This is the way America takes care of problems of misrepresentation and just plain BS. Very Republican. Expose the hype and let the marketplace decide.

Afterthought on Jarvik

2008-02-27T13:43:00.000-08:00

I've been rethinking. They say Robert Jarvik's contract to do Lipitor commercials was two years, and the pay: $1.35 million. Consider, please: that's about $650K a year, for quite a few quite complex film camera shoots, on location in many parts of the country -- he was in attendance at that lake, though he didn't row. Plus all the rest of the accompanying folderol involved in being a celebrity spokesman.

It must have been a fairly intense part-time job. For a guy who's running his own company, that's quite a commitment. He must have imagined the exposure would be worth millions more to him in the development of his company, on the worldwide money markets. So, for all this, he put his medical-health reputation -- which even he must have known was not close to that of, say Michael DeBakey -- on the line. However he must have looked at it, he stood to win big, and couldn't lose. Sadly, I suspect he still thinks so.

Buckley. From the time when conservatives had brains and a conscience.

2008-02-27T12:58:00.000-08:00

Cheap shot? It's mine. I'll miss this conservative. He could laugh.

Yes, there's good hype. See Starbucks.

2008-02-27T09:41:00.000-08:00

Nobody ever called Howard Schultz stupid. Yesterday's very public training shutdown got Starbucks gazillions of dollars in media coverage, as befits an iconic company. He got the full attention of all his employees, in the most positive way possible -- attention being paid to them as first priority. I could crow all day about the brilliance of this move. Above all, it's honest. We've got problems: watch us fix them. Take notice, Pfizer. How about a little candor, double-tall.

So long, Dr. Jarvik

2008-02-26T17:31:00.001-08:00

It only took America two years and millions of advertising "impressions" to end Pfizer's "Jarvik" Lipitor campaign. But we got around to it. Is this a great country or what? Time sums it up here.

MORE HEAT ON JARVIK AND PFIZER

2008-02-06T20:31:00.000-08:00

In the New York Times today, a roundup of the latest rumblings in Congress and the medical profession over Robert Jarvik's role as spokesperson for Pfizer's Lipitor. I'm pleased to note that the Times has been hitting dehype posts for leads lately.

A campaign without crap? We dare to hope.

2008-02-03T08:59:00.000-08:00

Have you noticed? Even though the Presidential candidates are attacking each other, we haven't seen real dirt yet. Just a little soot around the edges. Only the talk radio side show is truly outrageous, and they're attacking one of their own, John McCain, who's bulletproof. They're realizing it, too. I even heard Michael Savage backing off the other day, 24 hours after he raved that McCain was "in Kennedy's pocket," which was, now that I think about it, a fairly mild epithet for Savage, when you separate it from his ferocious style.

I hear Karl Rove's now on Fox News's payroll, which is as marginalized as you can get. Somehow I don't think he'll be running the Republican nominee's campaign this year. Maybe even he knows another Swift Boat-style operation won't work this year. After eight years of modern Republican rule, we're far from clueless. Even the believers know better than to believe what these guys say. The more the red-faced wingnut screamers attack McCain, the more Republican voters know he's exactly what the party needs in 2008.

So, you think the primary campaigns are rough? The finals will be rougher. But I think the people are saying, and the parties are hearing, Don't even think about putting out stupid, nasty crap. Not this year.

THE CAMPAIGN ISSUE NOBODY'S MENTIONED.

2008-01-31T10:59:00.000-08:00

Today, a new independent report commissioned by Congress is in the news. According to the study, the U.S. military is unprepared for a catastrophic attack on the U.S. This is mainly about what's left of our National Guard since Iraq. But, for me, it's just the latest certification that the vital and important traditional functions of our government have been allowed to deteriorate to a dangerous extent over the past eight years. Maybe longer; maybe there's blame to be shared by the previous administration.

But, it seems to me that the Republican administration of George W. Bush has taken an exceptional ultraconservative glee in throwing sand in the gears of our government structure and vital organs wherever it could. Aside from the military damage they've done, misusing the forces we had, any regulatory or functioning government program or agency you can name has been either allowed to under-perform or actively sabotaged by this administration.

So, I say, fine, let's have the big Iraq debate, though that issue is settled in most minds. Sure, go ahead and prognosticate on fixing health care. Wrestle with immigration; that's a fine time-waster a few of us can get riled up about. But I'll vote for the party and the candidate that understands what awful shape our government is in and rolls out a credible plan for fixing it. Tell me who you'll appoint to head Defense, State, Justice, FDA, EPA, CIA, and the rest of the bollixed up, demoralized, but vital bureaucracies. Give me your legislative and administrative plan for undoing the damage of the past eight years. Don't just badmouth our big government. Make it work for us. Democrat, Republican, or independent. If you get this, you've got my vote.

Dr. Phil to the rescue. Of Dr. Phil.

2008-01-30T08:55:00.000-08:00

Dr. Phil visited Britney Spears’s hospital room, then made a statement. The Spears family called him out on it. He said, if he had it to do over, he wouldn’t have made that statement. Non-apology of the month. On a Christian TV network.

Let me be clear. I’ve been a Dr. Phil fan from the start. Still am. Oprah was right. He’s a phe-nom.

This morning Phil made the rounds of the network morning shows, a phenomenon in itself -- not every superhero gets to do that. I saw his interviews with Diane Sawyer on ABC and Matt Lauer on NBC. I have to assume he made it to CBS’s cellar-dweller, too, since CBS owns his show. He repeated and embellished his non-apology. Nobody out-explains Phil.

Fact is, he flew all the way across the continent to say that this is no big deal. Mainly he wanted to slap down those tabloid lies about Oprah firing him, his wife leaving him, etc. Fine. Done.

But the part that others have been saying for him, that since he retired his psychologist’s license (in good standing, we hasten to add) means he had no legal or ethical responsibility to maintain patient confidentiality -- that fine lawyerly point, that’s a crock, folks.

Having heard Phil thunder countless times at wrong-doers on his show about his professional responsibility to turn them over to the legal authorities unless they clean up their acts, I’m not buying it. Hype wraps itself in all kinds of righteous raiments.

Dr. Phil, you moved to Hollywood. You wear the silk suit well. But your makeup’s looking a little shiny these days. It shows up in hi-def.

This just in: Iraq Ratifies Kyoto Protocol

2008-01-28T15:17:00.000-08:00

New York Times is where you can read about it. Me? I'm speechless.

What to write about...let me see...

2008-01-28T15:02:00.000-08:00

Why should I have trouble coming up with something to write about in an election year? Should be enough hype flying around to keep me in topics the rest of the year.

Actually, it's good that people are now casting actual votes. It's not so predictable as past years, either. I think the stupidity -- Bush's, Congress's, and ours (come on, we elected 'em) -- has knocked something loose. We're all mad enough to pay attention to the process this year. We also, apparently, don't feel so useless as in the past, and have decided not to let nuts and ad people make our decisions for us.

More people will vote this year than in past years. Bravo. And, I think we also have much better BS radar than ever before. No thanks to the pundits and press camp-followers. At least those folks are beating themselves up this time, instead of rationalizing. Leave that to the candidates and their agents. I'm really looking forward to the big Tuesday. I'm actually feeling confident.

This is a great country. The macho presidency is, like all past entourages, winding down. And we're still here.

Gut check.

2008-01-25T17:40:00.000-08:00

First of the year. Seems like a good time to consider what this site's about. Hype is not going away. The question: how to live a relatively sane, sensible life when you're surrounded by it. I think most of us succeed, actually. The early start to our Presidential season actually makes me feel pretty good. Politics don't seem to be nauseating me so much. I think we're a little more awake. Surely, the Republican machine doesn't seem so strident this year. That's smart of them. Even the most jaded of them seem to realize they can't do things the same way as before and expect to command the loyal. Likewise the Democrats. The presence of Obama seems to have changed the tone of their primary campaign. The media people are trying to whip up some fear and loathing, but I think the Clinton-Obama War story is a non-starter. I think they're lobbing macaroons at each other and the voters aren't paying attention to that stuff. I think both parties have learned something from the past six and a half years (Year One being 2001), and I hope the press and TV media do too, eventually. Me, I've slacked off in recent times on this site, though a lot of you come around looking for info on Cymbalta and Dr. Jarvik. Mostly, you're curious, and not much interested in my chronic outrage at drug advertising. It has helped ruin our health care system, but it isn't the only thing. We've put up with it. We share a major part of the blame. Even with all the hooha about all the issues and politics, only about half of us vote. No amount of hype has gotten the rest of us participating in cleaning up our various messes. How about checking your gut. If you spend one minute a year wondering how some of this stuff'll get fixed, shut up. Unless you at least know what's going on, and cast a vote. Thanks for dropping by.

The Jarvik plot thickens.

2008-01-22T17:00:00.000-08:00

Here's a link to ABC's Jarvik-Lipitor story, complete with video from Good Morning America, on which Robert Jarvik, Pfizer's sorta-doc spokesman for its anti-cholesterol drug, showed up and submitted to a gentle thrashing from Diane Sawyer last week. How many years has it taken for somebody in Congress, or anywhere, to get itchy enough with the idea of an apparent MD endorsing a particular drug on TV? Of course, the story behind the story is that Lipitor is slipping; has been since Zocor went generic, as the New York Times reported last November. See, the Zocor generic is much cheaper than Lipitor, which has its patent until 2010, and insurance companies and docs are switching patients to the cheaper drug, which is, by all accounts, just as effective. One little fact reintroduced in all this coverage: only the U.S. and New Zealand allow direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising. We really need this debate, seriously conducted: is free enterprise always good for our health?

UPDATE 1949 hours 012208: Required reading: a nytimes.com health blog fills us in on the recent Zetia flap. Link.

FINALLY, CONGRESS LOOKS AT JARVIK AND PFIZER

2008-01-11T20:54:00.000-08:00

The House Energy and Commerce Committee has ordered Pfizer to cough up all data on how much they've paid Robert Jarvik, star of their Lipitor campaign for, oh, years, now. Could we finally be heading for a little self-examination here? Our commercial culture has stood there and let pharmaceutical companies sell prescription drugs like sneakers and beer for, what, twenty years? Go see the House's letter to Pfizer at Slate.com.

OUR SOLD-OUT DOCTORS

2007-11-25T18:10:00.000-08:00

This is the link of the day, if you're on the fence about the effects of pharmaceutical marketing. Go visit the New York Times Magazine.

CHUMS: FDA AND PHARMAS

2007-11-22T14:32:00.000-08:00

Not exactly news. But it gets a link from me. The Seattle Times, Thanksgiving Day.

SLEEP WITHOUT LUNESTA OR AMBIEN.

2007-11-07T13:47:00.000-08:00

If you're an insomniac you can go to your doctor and demand a TV pill, or demand sleep counseling. Research shows that, eureka! Simple changes in behavior can put you to sleep better than pills. Read all about it here. And turn off the TV.

DRUG ADS HURT. CONSUMER REPORTS LOOKS AT REQUIP COMMERCIALS.

2007-11-07T12:03:00.000-08:00

Yes, they're still hurting, those high pressure TV campaigns for exotic prescription drugs. It's good that so many of you drop in on this site and others to check out the claims. And now we've got company from that most respected non-commercial consumer watchdog, Consumer Reports. On their newly redesigned Website, CR is featuring an analysis of Requip commercials. That's the Glaxo drug promoted for the relief of Restless Legs Syndrome, which I've written about before -- see the Dehype Hall of Fame links in the right column. You should watch the Consumer Reports video analysis and read their report on this drug. Learn how GlaxoSmithKline repurposed a Parkinson's Disease drug for a bigger market -- people who have...or think they have...Restless Legs. Here's the link.

HOLIER THAN BURMA?

2007-10-19T12:32:00.000-07:00

I'd feel a little more righteous about President Bush's strong statement and sanctions against the Burmese government today (he even has Laura out speaking on the subject) if we weren't so famous now for Guantanamo and "rendition."

THE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: MAINTAINING OUTRAGE.

2007-10-14T20:26:00.001-07:00

I believe historians will judge 2007-2008 as a crucial time. The outcome of the crisis now under way is far from known. But I also believe most of us, even those of us who are already angry over how the Bush Administration has distorted and damaged what America stands for, most of us are too comfortable with the situation.

I experience episodes of outrage. But such a strong emotion is hard to sustain, and we haven't really been required to give up our comforts in the almost seven years since Nine-Eleven. I can have equally intense periods of outrage at the Democratic majority in Congress, who haven't been able to carry out the quality or quantity of correction so many voters gave them clear instructions to effect.

I worry that because we haven't lost access to our toys, or our mobility, or our standard of living, to any meaningful degree, that we'll just doze through the Presidential year and forget to carry outrage forward and decimate the Republican Party, which it deserves, or shape up the Democratic Party, which we require in order to have an alternative to dysfunctional business as usual in our government.

PBS's Frontline, the only serious news documentary series on American television, opens its season Tuesday (10/16) with "Cheney's Law," which, they say, elaborates on how the Vice President and his lawyer manipulated our government system to inflate the power of the Presidency, at the cost of our values and what was left of our reputation. They, the Frontline group, don't put it as bluntly as I did just now. But neither do they flinch at presenting the evidence. I'll be watching Tuesday night, and I hope you will be too, in the interest carrying forward our outrage to November 2008.

CBS POLICY: ANYTHING GOES, IF YOU DISCLOSE, CHAPTER 2.

2007-10-11T14:01:00.000-07:00

I have to admit I missed this one. I saw Rita Braver's interview with Lynne Cheney on CBS's Sunday Morning last Sunday. And I heard her slip her disclosure in--that her husband, Braver's, is a lawyer who did the deal for Ms. Cheney's new book, which of course got a plug on the piece. Happily, many actual working pros in journalism called CBS out on this one. CBS did its usual tap dance about the act of disclosing the connection blowing away the odor of commercial back-patting on this one...same thing they said when I grumped about Ben Stein's piece on the same show in praise of saving for retirement, a subject close to his wallet as national spokesperson for an annuity promotion lobby. It is important to remember when watching that CBS News, once the paragon of rectitude and no-interest-conflicted broadcast journalism, has placed itself in the mainstream of PR-driven Fark News programming. About now, we could use at least one news organization we could trust. I'm afraid I can't think of one.

FARK, NOT NEWS.

2007-10-05T09:21:00.000-07:00

Jack Shafer, Slate's media writer, brings fark.com to my attention in an article this morning--the Website's operator, Drew Curtis, has a book. "Fark" is how Drew classifies the non-news that washes over us daily. I'll have more to say on this on marconidreams.com, if you don't mind.