By Harriet Hall, MD Reprinted from this week’s eSkeptic. Charlatan: America’s Most Dangerous Huckster, the Man Who Pursued Him, and the Age of Flimflam, by Pope Brock, is not only a rip-roaring good read, but it brings up serious issues about regulation of medical practice and prosecution of quackery. It tells the story of John [...]
July 7, 2008
It’s near impossible to know the exact machinations at work in the Viacom/Google lawsuit, but Google’s and Viacom’s comments about the recent order to turn over data underscore an important point: Both entities, in attempting to iron out copyright infringement of commercial videos posted Youtube, appear to be adamant about protecting the identity, and therefore [...]
June 29, 2008
I’ve been informed that merely having a Myspace page is an exercise in narcissism, so apparently having a blog is the ultimate display of grandstanding and being a blow-hard. But, it’s been a year for this blog, and so far it’s been a good run. I set up this blog for multiple reasons. I began [...]
June 15, 2008
I have more than once pointed out the irony of news media outlets having to cope with public relations crises. From having to play defense when the accuracy of news stories is challenged, to having to admit reporters fabricated news, the news media needs public relations counsel now more than ever. As fiscal pressures enhance [...]
June 4, 2008
How a consumer protection law may be defeated by a faux consumer watchdog campaign By Daniel Loxton [Editor's note: This is republished from The Skeptic. The intention with this post is to illustrate how 'grass-roots' campaigns, activist causes and the like don't have play by the rules of transparency, accuracy and the free flow of information.] [...]
July 11, 2008