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Betreff:
My letter
responding to Tom Mangold's accusations in last Sunday's Independent
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Von: Ingrid Dickenson
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Datum: Thu, 21 Jun 2007 10:56:42 +0100
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Everyone should write
their comments to IoS!
-----Original Message-----
From: Ingrid Dickenson [mailto:i.dickenson@earthbreathing.co.uk]
Sent: 21 June 2007 10:35
To: sundayletters@independent
Subject: My letter re Tom Mangold's comments in last IoS about Panorama
I am disturbed about Tom Mangold’s
slating comments regarding the Panorama Wi-Fi programme and surprised that a
`senior’ reporter relies on information from a blogger regarding 1 600
signatures naming Prof. Olle Johansson `Misleader of the year’. If all these
signatories really were `serious’ scientists or Prof. Johansson’s `colleagues’
questioning his integrity, as Tom puts it, would Prof.Johansson still be
working for the world’s most prestigious Karolinska Institute?? I think
not! Surely, the Karolinska Institute is very protective of its excellent
reputation.
Paul Kenyon is a very good reporter,
although Tom Mangold has no kind words for him. However, he is right when he
says that Paul was `lured’ into giving an interview for BBC News 24, but he
forgot to mention that Paul Kenyon did extremely well under the circumstances. After
being `tricked’ with the misleading `Misleader of the Year’ statement,
he calmly referred to the Uk’s `expert Sir William Stewart’s comments, which
clearly supported Prof. Johansson’s views. The fact that the BBC was trying to
publicly `trick’ their own reporter has raised many questions about its
`independence’, in particular when one considers that the BBC is now `selling’
its programmes to the mobile phone networks!! Anyone NOT making the connection
must be very naive.
Tom also conveniently forgot to
mention Prof. Henry Lai’s statements. As senior reporter for Panorama
between 1976 and.2003,. I am surprised he does not remember the one hour long
`Panorama’ many years ago at the beginning of the mobile phone boom, featuring
Prof. Lai, Research Professor at the Dept. of Bioengineering, University of
Washington, who previously had undertaken research for a well known mobile
phone company. He publicised his findings, which showed DNA strand breaks
in the brain of laboratory animals due to pulsed microwaves. It was some years
ago now, but if I remember it right, this resulted in Prof. Lai losing his
funding and Panorama revealed that an `internal’ email from the mobile phone
company suggested” to get rid of him”.
Meanwhile Prof. Lai has told his
story on the net but it is very strange that Tom not only forgot to mention the
interview with Prof. Lai during the recent Panorama programme so much slated by
him, he also disregards the interview with the Chair of the HPA Sir William
Stewart and Dr. Ian Gibson MP, Cancer specialist and previous chair of the
Committee for Science and Technology. Maybe Mr Mangold thinks that the opinions
of Prof. Lai, Sir William and Dr Ian Gibson are `unscientific’ and of no
consequence. From his accounts I can only assume that he hasn’t actually
watched the whole programme or maybe he thinks that he knows better, in which
case it’s a blessing Mr Mangold no longer works for Panorama.
I remember the statement made
during a Panorama programme investigating Seroxat ( or was it the sugar
industry?):. “Industry captures its own scientists” . Journalists
are just as useful, if not more so, where public opinion is concerned. In a
world where so few stand up for the truth I thank God for reporters like Paul
Kenyon and Geoffrey Lean!
I.Pastl-Dickenson
http://news.independent.co.uk/media/article2664379.ece
The Independent on Sunday
Upmarket 'Panorama'? 'The Spaghetti Tree
was more rooted in reality'