Why are doctors and patients still at war over M.E.? How the best treatment for the debilitating con

[Jonathan Edwards]

It may be worth remembering that Jerome Burne is a freelance journalist who offers pieces to whichever paper might be interested. It would be nice to see this piece in the Guardian maybe but the Guardian seems to have a pretty hypocritical position these days. They also seem to have an unhelpful policy on honouring their contracts to freelance journalists. I am not sure which devil one might be dealing with here but then I don't think commenting is actually very relevant - what matters is that a high proportion of health care professionals will get to hear a balanced account and maybe think a bit.

 

[Sean]

I don't believe that promoting this article will have any benefit in the big picture and I don't believe it is worthwhile to do "deals with the devil".

Don't like it any more than you do. But having the likes of the DM onside, or at least neutral, is politically important in the UK.

Overall, it is a pretty good story for us, and definitely not good for the PACE crowd nor the government.

 

[AndyPR]

I don't think commenting is actually very relevant

I maybe misunderstanding your point here Jonathan but I think that commenting on the article is valuable for the reasons I gave earlier. David Tuller himself has said that comments on articles are useful and he asks that we do so on his.

 

[arewenearlythereyet]

I've done my likes and dislikes and forwarded it on, although I do feel dirty and my family will probably disown me for contaminating their in-boxes. Dirty work, but as has been said already, a lot of people read that comic and it may just do some help with how the disease is viewed by the general public.

 

[A.B.]

I'm glad for this article but the Daily Mail seems to be an awful newspaper.

 

[alex3619]

I posted a series of comments in reply to Daily Mail comments.

PS One of my comments appears to have been deleted. Its one in which I quoted Ron Davis on the molecular basis of ME and fools. Another person commented on it but its no longer there.

PPS It appears there might be an issue with displaying messages on a PC. Some are finding the comments still there .

 

[charles shepherd]

Worth noting that this Daily Mail article is now resulting in other media enquiries

I have just been dealing with a request to do an interview on Spanish radio!

CS

 

[Stewart]

I maybe misunderstanding your point here Jonathan but I think that commenting on the article is valuable for the reasons I gave earlier. David Tuller himself has said that comments on articles are useful and he asks that we do so on his.

Another important reason for commenting / forwarding / liking this particular article is that the Daily Mail pays very close attention to how much of an impact its articles have (probably to a greater extent than any other British newspaper) and commissions more articles accordingly. Where they can see that an article has clearly caught the interest of their readers - and people who aren't normally readers - they'll commission further articles on that issue to boost their sales/page views as much as possible.

If we want the Daily Mail to approach Jerome Burne to write more on this issue, they need to see that there's an audience for it.

 

[alex3619]

Worth noting that this Daily Mail article is now resulting in other media enquiries

 

[arewenearlythereyet]

Worth noting that this Daily Mail article is now resulting in other media enquiries

I have just been dealing with a request to do an interview on Spanish radio!

CS

I hope your Spanish is up to it

 

[charles shepherd]

Also worth noting that the Daily Mail has actually done some very helpful articles on ME/CFS and that their senior health correspondent - Jenny Hope - is very sympathetic to the views of the ME patient community

In fact I think the Daily Mail produced the best and most sympathetic coverage of the Kay Gilderdale trial:

26 January 2010:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...e-cleared-attempted-murder-daughter-Lynn.html

29 January 2010:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/a...ing-ME-stricken-daughter-Lynn-speaks-out.html

14 April 2011:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/a...erdale-How-I-helped-darling-daughter-die.html

21 April 2011:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/a...tory-mother-accused-murdering-sick-child.html


CS

 

[charles shepherd]

I hope your Spanish is up to it

Sí, se puede!

 

[Stewart]

I hope your Spanish is up to it

"PACE - es una mierda completa".

 

[Jonathan Edwards]

I maybe misunderstanding your point here Jonathan but I think that commenting on the article is valuable for the reasons I gave earlier. David Tuller himself has said that comments on articles are useful and he asks that we do so on his.

I think responses to posts like David's are useful. Daily newspapers have comments boxes that tend to get filled up with all sorts of nonsense every time and I would be surprised if commenting this made a lot of difference. But I am not trying to put anyone off.

I think for this sort of thing Jerome judges that putting a proposal in to a paper might get taken and once the draft is approved he has a contract. I doubt the Mail is actually pushing an agenda here. I am not that sure I would want them to. The editor has a much less attractive approach to problems than Jerome does in my perspective.

 

[NelliePledge]

Im generally allergic to anything involving the DM ive retweeted the MEA page where they have copied the article in full. I think it is excellent to have got something like this in the DM which because it will register with the general public - some people who are fairly neutral still get the mail because of all the non politics stuff it has (yes I know but not everyone is clued up on politics) I think the government persuasion of politicians are also likely to pick up on this so maybe a good article to use in any contact with conservative MPs.

 

[AndyPR]

Im generally allergic to anything involving the DM ive retweeted the MEA page where they have copied the article in full. I think it is excellent to have got something like this in the DM which because it will register with the general public - some people who are fairly neutral still get the mail because of all the non politics stuff it has (yes I know but not everyone is clued up on politics) I think the government persuasion of politicians are also likely to pick up on this so maybe a good article to use in any contact with conservative MPs.

The problem I have with the MEA's wholescale copying of the article is that it doesn't give the Daily Mail the traffic that, in this case, it deserves. It's increased traffic that will encourage them to publish more ME stories, not the fact that the MEA are getting extra hits on their site.

Not aimed at you @NelliePledge , it's just something that has started to trigger me recently.

 

[Sean]

"PACE - es una mierda completa".

I don't speak Spanish, but I can take a good guess what that means.

 

[adreno]

Profoundly good article. Far better than the recent Times version, which mainly focused on the ME advocates as being biased and rude.

 

[Ysabelle-S]

Perhaps the flailing crew of HMS Psychobabble will get another article in the ever helpful Guardian, as a response to this one.

I liked the quote from Wessely used in the article. He doesn't come off well, and nor should he.

 

[charles shepherd]

Background info on Jerome Burne, including his contact details, if anyone wants it:

https://jeromeburne.com

JB is one of a very small number of investigative health journalists here in the UK who is keen to cover ME/CFS stories - when a suitable occasion arises - and to include the patient viewpoint

It would not do any harm to show approval for the article he has written for the Daily Mail today…

CS