In the aftermath of the recent T1D and T2D renaming controversy, I refuse to settle in to one of the two polarized positions that divide us. One common theme expressed by both sides is that we need to educate the public if and when they pay attention to diabetes.
We’ve all had that experience in reading a media story online or hearing a radio or TV spot, news and advertisements, that are just flat out wrong or mislead the reader/listener/viewer to conclusions that can harm. If you’re like me, you experience some mild irritation but, in the end, just place it under the heading of “things that cannot be changed.”
That made me think. Does anyone or any diabetes advocate organization monitor the media (print, broadcast, internet, and social) and respond to the often-expressed inaccuracies about diabetes, both T1 and T2?
Does JDRF, ADA, or the IDF monitor the media and offer corrections to the offending publication and/or writer? How do the more successful patient advocate organizations, like those that champion the causes of breast cancer and HIV/AIDS, correct media ignorance and bias?
Does anyone out there know anything about this issue? Perhaps we could collectively make this situation better.