Anderson Cooper, CNN and Kevorkian – Advertising Masquerading as Journalism

April 23, 2010anderson cooper, assisted suicide, cnn, conflict of interest, faux journalism, hbo, Kevorkian, media coverage, media issues, Our News & Commentary BlogStephen Drake

…ld have been a statement of full disclosure about the relationship between CNN and the movie. CNN stage-managed the “interviews” that have served as the basis for most of the news coverage – and CNN’s coverage was more like advertising. From where I sit, it means that CNN’s financial interests have affected the coverage of Kevorkian and assisted suicide. And it will continue. Because in June, HBO will be airing a documentary on Kevorkian – also no…

CNN: “Choosing death can be like a ‘birth,’ advocates say” – NDY and NCD perspectives included

August 30, 2011assisted suicide, barbara coombs lee, cnn, Compassion & Choices, Conflation and Con jobs, media coverage, national council on disability, ncd, Oregon, Our News & Commentary BlogStephen Drake

…on Kevorkian. The second surprise is that when the article came out on the CNN website today, the views and concerns are fairly presented in the context of an article on the activities of the assisted suicide advocacy group “Compassion and Choices,” also known as “Conflation and Con Jobs.” That’s no reflection on Ms. Landau, whose work I am unfamiliar with. The negative expectations are based on overall patterns when dealing with media rather than…

The Death of Christina Symanski – John Kelly and Bill Peace on Media, Perspective, Wrong Questions and Ignored Issues

February 17, 2012bill peace, Christina Symanski, dehydration, john kelly, media coverage, media issues, Our News & Commentary Blog, quadriplegia, starvation, suicide, VSEDStephen Drake

…l significance of her death. This is exactly what you will not find in the news stories that I have read over the last few days. The first newspaper to write about Symanski was the New Jersey Star Ledger. This story was picked up by the UK’s Daily Mail and then the Huffington Post. I expect the news of Symanski’s death will go viral over the weekend and be picked up by hundreds of news outlets. I have no doubt she will be lauded for choosing to di…

Two Highly Recommended Blog Reads Today

February 6, 2009assisted suicide, blog recommendations, dick sobsey, Homicide / 'Mercy Killing', Our News & Commentary Blog, policy, william peaceStephen Drake

…in Black’s searing War Against the Weak, one of the best books I have ever read about the Eugenics movement in the United States. This morning I read too much about California’s Terminal Patients’ Right to Know End-of-Life Options Act that was signed into law recently. My reading choices have made me cranky. The assisted death movement has gained tremendous momentum in the last year and I am deeply worried about the implications of recent legal ch…

Breaking News (UK): Falconer Swiss Suicide Tourist Immunity Voted Down!

July 7, 2009advocacy, assisted suicide, legislation, Our News & Commentary Blog, Switzerland, United KingdomStephen Drake

…ple to Switzerland to commit suicide with the “help” of Dignitas. From the BBC: The House of Lords has defeated a motion to change the law that makes it a crime for loved ones to help the terminally ill to travel abroad to die. In introducing the proposal, Lord Falconer said there exists a legal “no-man’s land” that requires clarity. The Lords voted to defeat the amendment to the Coroners and Justice Bill by 194 to 141. At least 115 people from th…