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On 19 December 2002 CISS lodged a complaint to the ABC, accusing the ABC of bias in ABC Health reports, the latest in a series of complaints to the ABC over the past 14 years. After an unsatisfactory response from the ABC's audience & Customer affairs Team, CISS made a formal complaint to the Independent Complaints Review Panel. The ICRP upheld the complaint.
In emails to the ABC, Don Benjamin, Convenor of CISS accused the ABC of bias in ABC Health Reports (ABC Health Online), Health Minutes (ABC Radio), and the Health Report (Radio National). Mr Benjamin complained that the ABC only promoted the orthodox view that mammography was the only effective means of detection.
In her response, ABC corporate Affairs' Audience Liaison Manager, Denise Musto, claimed the stories "were balanced". "It would be reckless of the ABC to overemphasis the evidence against mammographic screening ... unless the evidence was stronger...", she said.
Mr Benjamin countered by claiming the ABC only presented one side of the story. "Only local representatives from one side of the debate had opportunity to air their views", he said. "No one from the other side of the debate was invited to comment".
The ICRP reviewer conceded CISS had not been represented in the debate. However, Professor Alan Coates claimed the Danish research was flawed and "should not be allowed to undermine the 50 million dollar screening program". Conversely, Mr Benjamin stood by the Nordic Cochrane Group's Report that the evidence for mammograms was flawed.
The Nordic Cochrane Collaboration say they are an international network of individuals and institutions committed to preparing, maintaining, and disseminating systematic reviews of the effects of health care and claim their reports are "highly relevant for the practice of evidence based medicine" (www.cochrane.dk).
The ICRP found there was bias in the presentation of this issue, mitigated to some extent, by the concern of the ABC that repudiation of orthodox treatment might lead to serious outcomes. (summarized from article in Nov/Dec 2003 CISS newsletter).
REVIEW OF
COMPLAINT BY MR. DON BENJAMIN WHO CLAIMS ABC'S PRESENTATION OF SCREENING FOR
BREAST CANCER WAS BIASED
The subject of the complaints were Health Reports, Health Minutes (Radio) and Health News (Online) from 1998 to 2002.
COMPLAINT
In emails to the ABC Don Benjamin, Convenor/Research Officer of the Cancer Information and Support Society has accused the ABC of bias in ABC Health Reports (ABC Health online) and Health Minutes (ABC Radio) and the Health Report (Radio National).
Mr. Benjamin complains that in each of these ABC outlets discussion on the efficacy of screening for breast cancer advanced the orthodox view - that mammography was presently the only effective means of detection.
Mr. Benjamin claims "there is not a single reference that I have been able to find that covers the paper published in The Lancet 20 October 2001 by the Nordic Cochrane Group that questions the efficacy of mammograms".
ABC RESPONSE
In her response ABC Corporate Affairs' Audience Liaison Manager, Denise Musto, said the stories in the various ABC outlets "were balanced and gave both sides. For instance one Health Minutes report made it clear that the benefits of mammographic screening were certainly less than others have assumed which, as a result, puts more onus on researchers to identify women at greater risk who would benefit more from the procedure". In another response she said, "There would appear to be few plausible explanations to this dynamic other than the use of mammographic screening. It would be reckless of the ABC to overemphasis the evidence against mammographic screening you (Mr. Benjamin) refer to unless the evidence was stronger that it is".
BENJAMIN RESPONSE TO ABC
Mr. Benjamin acknowledges that the ABC had given the
mammographic screening issue adequate coverage. His complaint was that the ABC
had "only given local representatives from one side of the debate any
opportunity to air their views. No one from the other side of the debate was
invited to comment.
ICRP COMMENT
The ICRP reviewer finds this an extremely difficulty issue to adjudicate. Not that there is much doubt about bias in the ABC broadcast and online material. It is fairly clear the Mr. Benjamin's Cancer Information and Support Society has not been represented in the debate, either by way of personal appearances on radio or submissions on the ABC online outlet, or by a comprehensive examination of the Nordic Cochrane Group findings in broadcast and online media. The difficulty for the ICRP reviewer arises because of a plea by Professor Alan Coates that the Danish research should be ignored. Professor Coates says the research is flawed "and should not be allowed to undermine Australia's $50 million screening program. About 2,400 Australian women die from breast cancer each year but early detection and treatment is saving more and more lives". He said "lives will be lost if Australia's screening program was discontinued." On the other hand Mr. Benjamin says "The claim by Professor Coates that mammograms are saving more and more lives is based on the results of the seven randomised trials that the Nordic Cochrane Group have found to be flawed."
In one of it responses the ABC says "that does not mean that we would not be interested in covering the issue again and will keep your comments in mind when we do." The ICRP believes a debate where each side to this vexing question has its argument comprehensively presented would redress any bias perceived so far in ABC coverage of the issue.
FINDINGS
The ICRP finds there was bias in the presentation of this issue, mitigated to some extent by the concern of the ABC that repudiation of orthodox treatment might lead to serious outcomes.
REMEDY
While it is not our role to prescribe any remedy, that being the sole preserve of the Managing Director, we do commend the idea of a future debate involving key scientific players in this debate, specifically the Nordic Collaboration.