Breakfast television

   I have made several entries about a local morning television show I watch. I have talked about their interviews with homeopathic and naturopathic medical practitioners, and most recently, with a local psychic. I have been rather cutsie about the identity of that show, neglecting (deliberately) to name it, and the announcers referred to. Thinking about it this morning, I have decided to change that decision. I will explain my reasoning in a bit.
   The television show in question - if you are local to the Toronto area, and have ever flipped through the channels between six and nine AM on a weekday, you have probably already guessed - is called Breakfast Television, hosted by Kevin Frankish, Frank Ferragine, Jennifer Valentyne, and until recently, Liza Fromer. On local station CityTV, it has been a staple of Toronto television for years, and mixes news, traffic, and weather reports with human interest stories and interviews.
   What changed my mind? The host who was pregnant had her baby. Liza Fromer gave birth to a baby boy on Saturday, July 15, 2006 - my most hearty congratulations to her and her husband. When I heard the news, yesterday, my first thought was about the psychic who had predicted she would give birth on July first or second. I sent an e-mail to the show:

17/07/2006
To: BT@citytv.com
Subject: Liza Fromer and May Miller

Dear Kevin and the BT team,
   Congratulations to Liza Fromer and her husband on the birth of their son. I wonder if anyone remembers the predictions made approximately four weeks ago by Toronto "psychic" May Miller on your television show. Certainly she counts on the fact that they will not.
   She predicted that Liza would have her child one week early, on July first or second. She was wrong by two full weeks. In addition, she predicted that Germany would win the World Cup, and they did not even appear in the final game. Wrong again. And, to date, it appears that Jennifer Lopez is still not pregnant.
   So far, May Miller is batting 0 for 3 on her "psychic" predictions, and I am keeping track of the others she made, which will not be able to be evaluated for some months yet. Will you mention May's record to date on air, or will you continue to support and promote charlatans who fraudulently take people's money in return for absolutely nothing?

Regards,

Paul Little

   I have, to date, received no response. In fact, I have sent several e-mails to the show over the last few months. Here they all are:

1/3/2006
To: BT@citytv.com
Subject: Attn. Kevin Frankish. Re:Astrology

Kevin,
   As a regular viewer of Breakfast television, I would very much like to see some more honest reporting on things like astrology, palmistry, and psychics. Your guest of this morning is just one more of a long list of fraudsters who take advantage of people. For more information about the actual validity of Astrology, look here: http://skeptico.blogs.com/skeptico/2005/02/what_do_you_mea.html. I understand that the silly woo-woo stuff may interest many of your viewers, but would you report news stories that were patently false because you thought people would find them interesting? Should your personal interest stories be any less honest?
   I invite your comments on this issue.

Paul Little


4/4/2006
To: BT@citytv.com
Subject: Attn:producers

Why was your guest wearing a stethoscope around his neck?

   This is an important distinction. A "naturopathic doctor" is not a medical doctor, and is not licensed to provide actual health care. Your guest was wearing a stethoscope around his neck to add the appearance oflegitimacy that he did not actually rate. This is disturbing to me.
   His advocation of acupuncture goes against recent, peer reviewed, clinical studies that show acupuncture has no efficacy beyond that of placebo. I missed exactly what it was that he was injecting into Frank's arm, but was an actual medical doctor consulted before that procedure was undertaken? If not, the television station has placed itself into a precarious legal position should there be complications.
   This is dangerous stuff. Naturopathic, homeopathic, and faith based healers tacitly encourage people to eschew traditional medical treatment in favour of untested, and usually useless, but always expensive alternative treatments. While I would prefer to see CityTV stop airing shows with questionable guests, at the least you should air a strongly worded and highly visible disclaimer telling people to always check with a real medical doctor prior to taking any alternative therapy.

Paul Little


19/6/2006
To: BT@citytv.com
Subject: Homeopathic "Doctor"

Dear Liza, Kevin, and the BT producers,
   I would like to see you present a more balanced view on alternative medicine on your show. Today's show marked the third time in the last several weeks Breakfast Television has featured a "Doctor" who practiced Homeopathy and/or Naturopathy. You have consistently presented the things they say as fact, and many of your viewers may believe that there is some validity to the practice of Homeopathic and Naturopathic medicine based on your program.
   It is possible that you do not have a strong understanding of exactly what the practice of homeopathic medicine entails. I invite you to read this article explaining in brief homeopathy's history and practices. Serial delusions.
   One of the ways people defend homeopathic and naturopathic therapies is by pointing out that they are safe. Even those critical of them may consider them harmless. It is important to understand that alternative therapies that are ineffective are not harmless. For more illumination, I offer you this article from a doctor involved in cancer research. Respectful Insolence (a.k.a. "Orac Knows"): The Orange Man.
   Presenting alternative therapies without skeptical comment encourages people to seek them out instead of traditional medicine. Sure, today's segment was about allergies, but allowing that guest to present his unevidenced claims without challenge allows your viewers to place one foot onto a slippery slope that might, in future, lead to them seeking alternativeremedies for more serious conditions. For more information on naturopathic medicine, you might have a look at this website: Naturowatch.  
   The station might want to consider the legal ramifications of a viewer, based on your recommendations, seeking out alternative therapies for a serious illness, and having that result in a more serious condition, or even death.
   I see that tomorrow you have a psychic scheduled. Kevin and Liza claimed today that they were going to approach him from a skeptical viewpoint. We shall see if they stick to that tomorrow. Will the show do a follow up in future to check his results?

Regards,

Paul Little


20/6/2006
To: BT@citytv.com
Subject: re:Psychic.

Attn: Liza,
   You said yesterday that you were going to express skepticism in your segment with the psychic today. You did no such thing. You were entirely credulous. Kevin also expressed the desire to ask the psychic skeptical questions, and he wasn't even included in the segment. I am disappointed.
   Do you plan to post the predictions on the website so they can be checked later?

Paul Little

   I have never received any response from the hosts or producers of Breakfast Television. They have not, to my knowledge, made any statements of disclaimer about the subjects they present. It is clear that they do not care.
   As far as I am concerned this is irresponsible behaviour. They are in a position of trust in the community. People think, "if they show it on TV, it must be real." Certainly, going to a Naturopathic or Homeopathic medical practitioner for vitamins and other basic health maintenance seems harmless enough even if the vitamins or remedies actually do nothing. It is not, however, harmless at all. By not examining the claims of these people skeptically, the television station is giving them a tacit seal of authenticity that they may not merit. By allowing people to believe that it is OK to see these practitioners for "vitamins" they imply that it is also OK for people to see them for other, more serious ailments as well. Ailments for which these practitioners will glady provide remedies (for a fee) that do nothing. People's health is being endangered by the mere fact that the media do not report on these things honestly.
   The same television station runs an ombudsman segment on their evening news program in which they expose renovators who defraud the public by convincing people they need expensive home repairs that are actually unnecessary, or garages that overcharge people for unnecessary automobile repairs, or car dealers who sell cars that have been previously written off after serious accidents without full disclosure. Yet they will not apply the same level of protection to those members of the public who watch their morning show.
   In fact, they are complicitous in promoting charlatans and fraudsters who take money from people in return for exactly nothing: medicines that are no more than sugar pills, and psychic predictions that do not come true. Shame on you, Breakfast Television. Shame on you, CityTV.

tags: Skepticism,