Drug Industry is Infiltrating Supposedly "Independent" Media Outlets
The Australian newspaper has reportedly accepted an
undisclosed amount of sponsorship money from the drug industry
for a series of health policy articles.
The drug industry spends nearly twice as much on promotion
as it does on research and development, and part of this
promotion includes hefty advertising dollars that allow the
industry to dictate editorial policy.
The drug industry also uses their marketing and
lobbying dollars to influence medical science,
published journal articles, and government policy.
Drug companies are the BIGGEST political lobby,
and political lobbying is one of the primary reasons why the
drug companies are controlling nearly every
facet of the health industry.
As journalist Ray Moynihan recently reported in the British Medical Journal:
"Just as many doctors contemplate an end to their dance with drug company marketers, a fresh new crew is stepping lively onto the floor: journalists and media organizations looking for easy ways to fund their reporting, travel, and education.
The BMJ reported … that the Murdoch empire's flagship newspaper in
Australia has accepted an undisclosed amount of sponsorship money from
the drug industry for a series of articles on health policy—and that the
idea arose from a meeting between advertising agents.
Defending the deal, the Australian's editor said that independence and integrity were maintained; but as others pointed out, this new form of financial closeness between journalists and the companies they scrutinise raises real concerns."
This is really not surprising considering that that media mogul Rupert Murdoch's son, James Murdoch, is a member of drug giant GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK) corporate responsibility committee (a position he entered in May 2009). His job? To review "external issues that might have the potential for serious impact upon the group's business and reputation" -- a position he's well suited for …
James Murdoch, as you may know, is the chairman and chief executive of News Corporation Europe and Asia, and chairman of BSkyB.
I can only imagine the extent to which drug makers can benefit from having a media mogul on their payroll, as well as "sponsoring" media content on health policy. Clearly they've thought this one through, and it makes perfect sense when you consider the clout they need to keep the media quiet
By Dr. Mercola
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/12/18/journalism-in-drug-industry.aspx?e_cid=20111225_SNL_MC
