Confessions of a Quackbuster

This blog deals with healthcare consumer protection, and is therefore about quackery, healthfraud, chiropractic, and other forms of so-Called "Alternative" Medicine (sCAM).

Sunday, December 26, 2004

Rogers Communications' Medical Post article by Barbara Kermode-Scott about Terry Polevoy was removed from the internet

Rogers Communications' Medical Post article by Barbara Kermode-Scott about Terry Polevoy was removed from the internet
by Terry Polevoy

It is inconceivable that the powerful media conglomerate Rogers Communications would cave-in to a threat made by one of Canada's most notorious sellers of snake oil.

But, as hard as it seems, it's happened, and it's happened at a time when the story needs to be told.

Over the years Rogers Communications has helped bring Canadian audiences the likes of Christine McPhee, Trudi Bricker, and now leads the pack with infomercials on their radio stations for products sold by a company controlled by Scientologist Michael R Pinkus. And don't forget those Dr. Metz's Amazing Slimming Insoles that just melts fat off your butt by just placing them inside you shoes.

On November 2, 2004 an article appeared in The Medical Post entitled "Challenging quacks and frauds" by Barbara Kermode-Scott. It was basically about the life of Terry Polevoy. It told the story about his battles with quackery and about his web sites. The MP web site placed the article online and it remained there for nearly two months. The feedback from the original article has been outstanding.

Apparently, one of the people involved in one of the snake-oil companies apparently didn't like the facts as presented in the article. He called up or contacted Rogers Communications and threatened a lawsuit. Apparently he just doesn't understand English. There is nothing in the article that is not the truth.

Here is the link to the original article. Note that not ONE WORD of the original article, not even the TITLE remains when you click on the link. That is truly censorship.

http://www.medicalpost.com/mpcontent/article.jsp?content=20041031_183257_3140

A copy of the original article can be found here:

Challenging quacks and frauds: Terry Polevoy, MD :

I am in the process of filing an official complaint with the Canadian Association of Journalists and have asked the Editor of the Medical Post to intervene.

When a media giant starts to censor medical doctors in a medical magazine dedicated to providing the facts, and when have a sordid history as a corporation that has helped to spread cancer quackery, bad nutritional advice, and still makes money from selling air time to Scientologists to basically lie to the public about their products, then the field is right for battle.

Anyone with half a brain and a computer can see through this mirage or smoke-screen.

Rogers Communications has over the years made a lot of money selling air time, or providing production facilities to quacks who promote themselves or who sell quack products. The Medical Post is just a small niche of their vast empire, so any article that is challenged with a threat of a frivolous lawsuit because it aims to tell the truth needs to be purged. They don't want the bad publicity it might bring.

Do a Google on Rogers Communications and quackery and you will see how often that they support quackery.

http://tinyurl.com/53xbe

or try this one:

http://tinyurl.com/4ldtu

I ask all of you to protest to Rogers Communications, and particularly to Rick Campbell who runs the Medical Post to put the entire piece by Barbara Kermode-Scott back on the internet.

The Medical Post
Editor: Rick Campbell
Rogers Healthcare & Financial Services Group
One Mount Pleasant Road
Toronto, ON
Canada M4Y 2Y5

Telephone: 416-764-2000
Fax: 416-764-3941
Website: www.medicalpost.com
mailto: rick.campbell@medicalpost.rogers.com

You can also contact the Canadian Association of Journalists to voice your concerns over censorship.

Canadian Association of Journalists
Algonquin College
1385 Woodroffe Avenue, B224
Ottawa, ON K2G 1V8
fax it to 613-521-3904,
or by e-mail to caj@igs.net

I have also sent a copy of this e-mail to the Canadian Civil Liberties Association because I strongly feel that what Rogers Communications has done is a violation of the rights of all Canadians to express themselves.

All Canadians need to see that medical and health quackery of any kind has a voice, and that The Medical Post has just silenced one of its best writers, Barbara Kermode-Scott, and placed a cloud over the life and struggles led by Terry Polevoy against the forces of quackery and health fraud.

Thank you very much for your help.

!# Terry Polevoy, MD
!# 938 King St. West
!# Kitchener, Ontario, N2G 1G4 Canada
!# 519-725-2263 -- 725-4953 fax
!# http://www.healthwatcher.net/ - Consumer Health Watchdog
!# http://www.healthwatcher.net/Quackerywatch/about.html - About Dr. Terry Polevoy's Canadian Quackerywatch
!# http://groups-beta.google.com/group/Cancer-QuackeryWatch - Cancer Quackery Group
!# http://www.pigpills.com/ - Pig Pills, Inc. - The True Story of Truehope.com & Synergy Group
!# http://www.dietfraud.com/ - Diet and Weight Loss Alerts
!# http://www.herbalwatch.com/ - Herbal Warnings and Scams
!# http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dietfraud/ - Yahoo Groups
!# http://www.chirowatch.com/ - Chiropractic risks & fraud
!# http://www.acupuncture911.com/ - Acupuncture dangers