News Front
Jessica Macfarlane (May 1, 2018)
Photo of Kiwi killed by dogs and cats passed off as 1080 poisoned birds
Where: www.newshub.co.nz
Who: Newshub
When: 12/02/2018
Skeptic summary: A facebook page protesting against the poison 1080 (which has been proven to help bring back native bird numbers by reducing predator numbers) received more than 1000 posts before a misleading photo was removed.
Deceptive article on how to identify ‘poisonous GMO tomatoes' circulating internet again
Where: www.geneticliteracyproject.org
Who: Bob Edlin
When: 13/02/2018
Skeptic summary: Regular contributor Alison Campbell is quoted on her blog which points out the nonsense around GMO tomato spotting, but link goes to another article not Alison's original blog which can be found here: http://sci.waikato.ac.nz/bioblog/
Concerns over fluoride in drinking water aired by prominent critic
Where: www.nzherald.co.nz
Who: Victoria White
When: 15/02/2018
Skeptic summary: Dr Paul Connett speaks to Fluoride Free meeting calling it a 'neurotoxin' and saying that it 'lowers IQ in children'.
Oral health expert Robin Whyman slams claims made by fluoride critic Paul Connett
Where: www.nzherald.co.nz
Who: Victoria White
When: 16/02/2018
Skeptic summary: Hawke's Bay District Health Board clinical director for oral health Dr Robin Whyman calls out Dr Paul Connett and presents evidence showing improving dental health results for children when fluoridation was introduced.
Popular Arthrem medicine linked with potential harm to liver
Where: www.stuff.co.nz
Who: Unknown
When: 20/02/2018
Skeptic summary: What's the harm? Liver damage in this case. Not all natural herbal remedies are safe and it seems to be only when enough cases present to hospital that changes are made to lock these products down.
Richie and Gemma McCaw team up with Good Health
Where: www.goodhealth.co.nz
Who: Good Health
When: 23/02/2018
Skeptic summary: Naturopath website shares news of Richie and Jemma McCaw teaming up to advertise turmeric health supplement. They mention 'studies' but give no details of these.
Richie McCaw and wife Gemma promote turmeric in first ad together
Where: www.herald.co.nz
Who: Brittany Keogh
When: 24/02/2018
Skeptic summary: Brittany outlines news of new ad campaign linking to older article written by a 'medical herbalist' and columnist Sandra Clair about turmeric. There is no analysis at all of turmeric from a scientific view point.
Your Health: Why is everyone raving about turmeric?
Where: www.herald.co.nz
Who: Sandra Clair
When: 14/02/2018
Skeptic summary: It's all good news about Turmeric which is very effective—you should take it everyday– the writer notes people in countries where high levels of turmeric is eaten are less likely to get cancer. Readers of our last issue would have seen the article by Alison Campbell on the subject (basically it doesn't do anything), and for your further reading pleasure refer to www.snopes.com which explains that the active ingredient is notorious for false positives, and is ‘unstable and not very potent in the human body' and summed up the use of studies out of India as ‘scientifically dishonest'.
Australian Scientists Shocked - Shocked! - To learn Anti-Vaxxers tend to believe other conspiracies, too
Where: www.gizmodo.com.au
Who: Sandra Clair
When: 14/02/2018
Skeptic summary: Global study including NZ found link between anti-vaxxers and believers in conspiracy theories. We are not shocked either.
New Zealander of the year finalists announced
Where: www.nzawards.org.nz
Who: Unknown
When: 30/01/2018
Skeptic summary: Skeptic hero and contributor Siouxsie Wiles named one of the finalists for Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year. They note her work tackling the massive issues of “antibiotic-resistant superbugs and infectious diseases”, and her “innovative and pioneering work in bioluminescence is redefining modern medicine.”
Scientists prove fake news travels faster than truth
Where: www.stuff.co.nz
Who: Sarah Knapton
When: 09/03/2018
Skeptic summary: A Twitter feed analysis of fake and true stories by MIT found that people like sharing novel things (mostly fake stories) because, firstly they like novel things, and secondly, people who share novel information are seen as 'in the know'. They also found that people share fake news whether they are aware it is fake or not.
More on Cambridge Analytica and Facebook
Where: www.yournz.org
Who: Pete George
When: 21/03/2018
Skeptic summary: The major headlines are pulled together here regarding Facebook's failure to stop Cambridge Analytica from mining data from 50 million users (this could mean you) without their knowledge or consent. Further on this, it was confirmed that voters were targeted with ads and fake news to swing the election in the U.S. in favour of Trump, but also the Obama campaign benefited from data mined by C.A., and now Facebook's stock has dropped, and celebrities including Elon Musk are whipping up their followers on social media encouraging them to #deletefacebook.
Finding Mrs Moreland
Where: www.stuff.co.nz
Who: Charlie Gates
When: ??/03/2018
Skeptic summary: One Blenheim woman's account of a UFO and alien sighting back in the ‘70s has inspired not only a comic book story back in the day but now a fun ‘story' on stuff's interactive website. As the story points out there is no evidence for any aliens, but quite a lot of correspondence about it flew back and forth. Sadly the only witness has now passed away, and the site of the story is now an empty section in suburbia.
Mediawatch features Visual Trumpery & NZ Skeptics
Where: www.radionz.co.nz
Who: Colin Peacock
When: 25/03/2018
Skeptic summary: Alberto Cairo explains that most people don't understand graphs, which are normally not accompanied by enough information to make them meaningful, but they persuade anyway, and therefore any old pseudo-science with a graph can still change minds, and Media (not Chair) of NZ Skeptics Mark Honeychurch explains why an NZ medium reported to have solved a murder case does not prove psychic powers are real.