DISQUS

The Michigan Messenger: Conyers takes issue with Gupta as Surgeon General, blogs about it

  • SteveLR · 11 months ago
    Conyers is right! While Gupta is perhaps okay as a TV personality, major concerns exist about Gupta should he be offered the role of Surgeon General of the US.

    1. As a media figure, Gupta has been disturbingly cozy with Big Pharma. He co-hosts Turner Private Networks' monthly show "Accent Health," which airs in doctors' offices around the country and which serves as a major conduit for targeted ads from the drug companies.

    2. He has openly opposed progressive health reform, and cited false information in an effort to discredit Michael Moore's film "Sicko". Ultimately, it was found that Gupta distorted the facts.

    3. In 2003, despite mounting evidence to the contrary, he publicly downplayed concerns about the dangers of Vioxx. It was removed from the market a year later by its manufacturer, Merck.

    4. Media watchdog groups have also expressed concern about lack of objectivity in his reporting: http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=3135
    http://mediamatters.org/items/200707120001