Maryanne Demasi
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Dr. Maryanne Demasi is an Australian science reporter and presenter with ABC's Catalyst.
She completed a Doctor of Philosophy in medical research at the University of Adelaide and worked for a decade as a research scientist specialising in rheumatoid arthritis research at the Royal Adelaide Hospital.
Demasi has also worked as an advisor to the South Australian Government's Minister for Science and Information Economy. She is now a reporter on the ABC's science journalism program, Catalyst.
She was awarded the National Press Club of Australia Prizes in 2008 and 2009 for Excellence in Health Journalism.
Catalyst Controversy
Demasi produced and presented two controversial episodes of the science program Catalyst (TV program) in October 2013, which questioned the link between cholesterol, cholesterol-reducing medication and ill-health.[1] Some individuals and professional organisations within the medical and scientific community responded to the show negatively[2] and the National Heart Foundation of Australia published a nine-page rebuttal of the claims presented in the program.[3] Demasi was accused of bias by ABC's MediaWatch program[4] and received criticism from national newspapers for incomplete and biased coverage of life-threatening health issues.[5][6][7] In response to these allegations, Demasi claimed that participants in the program had been presented with her material and agreed with her interpretation.[8] The National Heart Foundation responded, saying that Demasi had not presented the research,[9] ignored and mis-interpreted the information provided, and selectively edited quotes to invert their meaning. In May 2014 the ABC removed the two episodes from its website [10] after an internal review found that both programs met the ABC editorial standards for factual accuracy, though a section in the second episode breached standards of impartiality. The report also found that the programs were not found to cause any undue harm to the public and took adequate steps to ensure people did not cease their medications without consulting their doctor[11]
Demasi Rebuttal
Dr Demasi disputed claims that her program "could cause death" and her rebuttal can be found here. http://www.nofructose.com/2013/11/16/abc-catalyst-gets-it-right-on-cholesterol/
Further reading
Despite opposition to Dr Demasi's documentaries, several independent organisations have supported her claims. These include THENNT.com http://www.thennt.com/nnt/statins-for-heart-disease-prevention-without-prior-heart-disease/ and The Therapeutics Initiative in Canada. http://ti.ubc.ca/letter77. Harvard researcher, Dr John Abramson also published an analysis in the prestigious British Medical Journal showing that statins did not provide an overall benefit to people at low risk of heart disease, a claim made by Dr Demasi in the program. http://www.bmj.com/content/347/bmj.f6123/rr/674751
References
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- ↑ http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/1341_heartfoundation2.pdf
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