Well I've just done my duty (didn't even realise I had a guardian account) and gone through clicking the good comments. It's really easy, all you need is your name and email to create a guardian account, then you can start clicking to drown the trolls. If we all do it ...
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Guardian article: ME affects four times as many women as men. Is that why we’re still disbelieved?
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AndyPR
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We almost need a group of us ready to descend on ME articles and up- and/or downvote as necessary.
A.B.
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trishrhymes
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Don't forget the malign influence of the Science Media Centre doing its best to make sure nothing against PACE gets published.
At least the Guardian did this much. Well done to the writer, I think it's a great piece giving the personal angle, which makes it publishable in today's media, as well as getting lots of good points across.
Of course we'd like an investigative piece about the PACE scandal, but this is a good start. Maybe we should all write to the Guardian Science editor to suggest the investigative stuff, and warning them not to go to the SMC for info. I'd do it, but not today, I've used up all my day's supply of energy.
At least the Guardian did this much. Well done to the writer, I think it's a great piece giving the personal angle, which makes it publishable in today's media, as well as getting lots of good points across.
Of course we'd like an investigative piece about the PACE scandal, but this is a good start. Maybe we should all write to the Guardian Science editor to suggest the investigative stuff, and warning them not to go to the SMC for info. I'd do it, but not today, I've used up all my day's supply of energy.
Snowdrop
Rebel without a biscuit
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I wouldn't be surprised if there was some sort of gag order to the press not mentioning PACE.
Sounds far fetched? Not when it comes to this methinks. . .
And to reiterate Kyla (and farther along TiredSam:
Sounds far fetched? Not when it comes to this methinks. . .
And to reiterate Kyla (and farther along TiredSam:
The fact that you can refer to an article about the biases against women that permeate the medical system, biases which do in reality impact on our status and treatment, as "gender victimhood" kind of makes the point - it is part of the problem. And it's always slightly fascinating to me that people are so quick to dismiss it, for some reason.
I do agree however that there is a much bigger story that they have missed - ie the big giant scam that is PACE and everything associated with it. We need more articles like the one in stat news in the mainstream.
Large Donner
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Well the thing is much of the proposed disability cuts were actually a left wing policy based creation during the Tony Blair era and the BPS crowd enjoyed considerable success under them.
The heroes of proclaimed left wing policy which is often connected to certain publications under Blair loved the likes of the BPS crowd to give them legitimacy often via papers like the Guardian.
They specialized in a kind of NLP double speak where good was bad and bad was good yet big brother had all the answers at the same time as they were in bed with the corporatism elite.
The Guardian despite claiming to challenge the establishment now sometimes was a nice vehicle for them to play the big friendly uncle and psychology and psychiatry is totally in bed with those principles.
Its going to be hard for the left to admit that just constantly cooking the books on health care issues etc was a nice back scratching exercise that led to state funding of something like the PACE trial using narratives of extremists and mentally ill people being in opposition to "real scientific development".
Its just all too cold war Russia tactics for them to have the lid lifted on.
slysaint
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For those who didn't know;
This was written by @harveythecat who also wrote
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/wellbeing/health-advice/me-and-me/
featured on another thread.
This was written by @harveythecat who also wrote
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/wellbeing/health-advice/me-and-me/
featured on another thread.
I think even one line criticizing PACE is a big step for the guardian. I've had comments removed from various articles where I have criticized PACE and when I complained no one there wanted to do anything about it. I did think that they just had a moderator who was bad but I tried complaining to the moderators got no response and the readers editor didn't do anything when I pointed out the issue and how they were stigmatizing patients.
Large Donner
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Could we perhaps have an expert press release with the 40 academics etc who wrote to the Lancet over their concerns from the PACE trial and reiterate the same to all the major news outlets and newspapers in the UK?
As a woman, I am extremely familiar with accusations of hysteria that permeate a woman's encounter with the medical system and I am not dismissing this. I just think that a bulletproof fact-based argument against the psychosomatic treatment of ME/CFS which has been put forward by the authors of the Virology reanalysis of PACE would have been 100x more persuasive to neutral people reading this piece, had it formed the basis of the article, than less strong / more subjective arguments about gender discrimination, that's all.
Snowdrop
Rebel without a biscuit
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Yes, if only. . . in that mythical perfect world.
I'm going with the presumption that this is all they dared at the present moment. There has been complete radio silence from mainstream news otherwise.
As a side note--I presently have more ire for some of our 'ME experts' who feel the need to opine on how to treat our disease with lifestyle and pacing. Waste of energy that could be spent on rather a lot of more significant points esp as most of know all this blather already. I'm tired of hearing so much as one word on the subject esp as it never ever has any relevance to more severe. My lifestyle choices are limited to whether I can brush my teeth today. You'd think these ME experts could do better than constantly pushing their silly treatment views that are not all that different from BPS.
Marco
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They certainly appear to have a certain deference to 'experts' and suchlike appeals to authority.
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Hi - the journalist here! Nice to meet you. Of course I'm aware of all of those things and want the public to be aware of them as much as possible. I think stating in a national paper, with links, that the PACE trial did not lead to recovery in the way scientists said it did, is quite a big step. If I had my way, it would have been much longer and gone into more detail, but I'm trying to work on that in a different article (which will be the 5th article I've written about ME.)
Large Donner
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Thanks for your reply. Are you saying you are the Guardian journalist of the article? Can you just tell us in a few simple sentences why ....
Just what is it that is blocking an article of the same length as this current one simply telling the proven facts of the scientific fraud that is the PACE trial.
Its a story that is self written easily sourced and so simple to understand from a readers perspective.
Thanks in advance.
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Who decided that gender should be the leading theme of the article, as opposed to, say the medical mistreatment of patients due to Get, and PACE. PACE is after all the focus of international and unreserved discrediting, by highly qualified international scientists, and a lot of them. The vast waste of money by queen mary uni is also a scandal, and storyworthy. How can there not be a story there.
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Trust me - we're on the same side. Like I say, am trying to get a longer article out there. I'm v tired after the protest today so don't really want to be defending myself online after working so hard to be honest!
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I have been working hard in the Comments section to counteract the ignorance and unpleasantness there.
My question about the decision to make gender the leading issue is perfectly reasonable.
My question about the decision to make gender the leading issue is perfectly reasonable.
Large Donner
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I am not doubting we are on the same side and I believe you when you say you are going about this in a calculated manner because it is the easiest way.
Also I am not asking you to defend yourself I am asking you to drop others in it.
When you get a chance could you possibly elaborate on why the mainstream media just doesnt want to pick up on this major scoop that has written itself.