August 11, 2024 — Narratives are powerful. One of the early dominant narratives of the rising demand for Ozempic and related drugs was all about Hollywood, appearances, and privilege. But Bloomberg has a counter-narrative for us. The center of gravity for Ozempic demand is not Hollywood. It’s really Bowling Green, Kentucky. The food environment here is more Waffle House […]
May 22, 2024 — In a certain way, Ozempic and TikTok were made for each other. One is the most viral social media of the moment. The other is an omnipresent sensation in medical therapy. Both of them fill a vacuum in popular culture. For TikTok, the vacuum might be boredom – though we admit that this assessment comes […]
April 24, 2024 — Clickbait is a new spin on an old thing. Sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll used to be the formula for drawing eyes to advertising. Now the hottest clickbait is sex, alcohol, and GLP-1 drugs. People magazine tells us this month that GLP-1 agonists “may impact the desire to drink alcohol or have sex.” Oh […]
April 5, 2024 — If we didn’t know better, we might think Anahad O’Connor and the Washington Post are deliciously clever satirists. They have a new contribution to the catalog of conspiracy theories. In short, O’Connor explains that the reach of HAES (Health at Every Size) messaging comes from a Big Food conspiracy. This plot involves registered dietitians aiding […]
September 18, 2023 — Clickbait journalists are taking aim at clickbait nutrition influencers and we wonder: Who benefits from this fracas? Late last week, the Washington Post ran a story exploring the phenomenon of dietitians who are active in social media. Their thesis: “Registered dietitians are being paid to post videos that promote diet soda, sugar and supplements on […]
April 4, 2023 — Clickbait headlines are running wild on the subject of advanced obesity medicines – even in formerly responsible news sources. Over the weekend, for example, USA Today warned us that there’s dark magic in these medicines. It seems the mere availability of new and more effective obesity meds can cause people to lose their minds. They […]
February 15, 2023 — We can hear the rumble. The UK media sensation machine is gearing up for an onslaught of weight loss headlines that will misdirect millions of people about an important medical advance. If you have any doubt, sample the headlines from mainstream UK news sources. The Independent captures the spirit of British press on this subject […]
November 16, 2022 — It’s a fact. Media needs your attention. Thus, journalistic standards live in in tension with the temptation for sensational headlines that trivialize a subject like obesity. We’ve seen it before. Yet the current crop of sensational headlines offering a twisted understanding of serious new obesity treatments is especially disappointing. Here’s an example from the supposedly […]
October 15, 2022 — In GQ recently, Will Peischel asked if the world is ready for extremely effective weight-loss drugs. Of course, the simple answer is yes and no. First of all, it’s clear enough that most people don’t really understand these drugs or the condition they treat. Peischel makes that clear right up front when he calls them […]
August 27, 2020 — When it comes to clickbait, enough is too much. The CNN headline on the right proclaims both truth and fiction. It’s true enough that obesity increases the risk of complications from COVID-19. But suggesting that a “study finds” obesity damages the efficacy of a COVID-19 vaccine is false and misleading. This is nothing but obesity […]
