GRRR - Terrible Article by Widely Read Journalist

[aubergine]

This will unfortunately get a lot of readership, very popular news site, front page this morning.

www. thedailybeast .com/articles/2013/01/31/my-electronic-cigarette-addiction.html
[rebuild broken link]

For a minute I thought he was going to be ironic, but ugh. Front page. It's the first of its kind that I've seen - by a fairly prominent and respected journalist who actually uses ecigs. Gak.

Eli Lake (born July 9, 1972), is the ^[1] national security correspondent for the Daily Beast and Newsweek Magazine and a frequent contributor to the Bloggingheads.tv. He was previously a national security reporter at the New York Sun^[2] and the State Department correspondent for the UPI.^[3] He is also a contributing editor for The New Republic.

 

[Factor52]

Interesting read, Thanks aubergine. Some very nicely worded comments following the article..

Just wondering when the tide will change, what will it take to get mainstream media to understand how vaping has changed so many peoples lives for the better?

 

[aubergine]

It's really an odd article - on second reading I have the sense that he really did want to write a positive one and caught flak from a nervous editor who told him to tack on more "negative data". He's a smart guy, and in the context of his obvious success and pleasure with ecigs that last line seems almost sarcastic. "OK, you want me to say they're Chinese antifreeze? Righto. I'll say they're Chinese antifreeze." ...... me off because The Beast is one of my daily over-coffee reads. One well-meaning acquaintance has already sent me the link - "Did you know this???" Ugh.

 

[aubergine]

Great comments over there, heavily weighted on our side - at any given time today 250 (presumably different) people are viewing that article. It's a good place for discussion, argument and correcting misinformation; please add your voice!

 

[kristin]

It's really an odd article - on second reading I have the sense that he really did want to write a positive one and caught flak from a nervous editor who told him to tack on more "negative data". He's a smart guy, and in the context of his obvious success and pleasure with ecigs that last line seems almost sarcastic. "OK, you want me to say they're Chinese antifreeze? Righto. I'll say they're Chinese antifreeze." ...... me off because The Beast is one of my daily over-coffee reads. One well-meaning acquaintance has already sent me the link - "Did you know this???" Ugh.

Hmmm...that last line seems to have been changed. The one I read said "Wonderful. Here I was thinking I was cheating death when I was more likely inhaling Chinese-made antifreeze. I guess there’s always cinnamon sticks."

 

[StormFinch]

I replied. Sooooo tired of people demonizing PG in e-cigarettes when it's perfectly fine that pharmaceutical companies want to use it in new breathing treatments.

 

[rothenbj]

Added my comment to the growing list. I just find it hard to believe that this fellow has been using E Cigs that long and never did any independent research other that looking at what the FDA and Mayo Clinic information.

 

[Petrodus]

Reality TV style news ...
Actually, there's good reasoning behind Realty TV shows
including the 24/7 Realty TV News ... on the Right and the Left.

The key ingredient is "Drama" and Entertainment.
Truth without Drama and Entertainment to Americans is BORING
and they aren't interested. Best way to add Drama is to add lies
and over exaggerations.

Short TRUE story (proof truth without drama does NOT sell)

A friend (in the sciences) a year ago contacted National Geographic
and offered to produce a 30 minute movie on a very interesting
scientific subject. National Geographic agreed and gave him the Green Light.

3 Months later the video was presented to National Geographic
and promptly rejected. My friend asked Why ??

National Geographic said the content was absolutely fascinating
HOWEVER ... No DRAMA ... He was told if he wanted it aired he
should re-shoot it with over exaggerated drama Reality TV shows in mind.

My friend said bye !!

 

[TennDave]

I commented- said nothing about my own personal experience- something rare.
Figured it was a fair trade- someone saying something about their personal experience and then twisting it....inconcievable. Really.

 

[vapmex]

Probably the writer is getting tired of e-cigs or his health has not improved since he quit analogs.... I feel some kind of frustration on his article... half lies, half truths... the anti-freeze comment was an straight attack to the e-cig community IMO.... The only truth that I found on this article is when he thinks about the studies related with PG, that is safe to consume but not sure if it's safe to inhale, there's not much studies about PG inhalation.... we know that is used in some Asthma inhalers but still a mistery what the PG converts when it gets vaporized.... Vaporizing It's a chemical reaction that can break a substance into a different one.....

That is my worst concern now about vaping...

 

[Petrodus]

Truth and copy/paste Old Lies in the same article...
Gives the Illusion to the uninformed of "balanced reporting"

 

[kristin]

Vaporizing It's a chemical reaction that can break a substance into a different one.....

That is my worst concern now about vaping...

You are thinking of "combustion." Liquid propylene glycol warming into a mist form is not a chemical reaction but a physical change (ie. phase transition.) It's no different than water being boiled and then turning into condensation. Water can be a liquid, solid or gas but those changes are not a chemical reaction, because when the water cools or warms it is not changed from water in any way. Nicotine, of course, remains largely unchanged when heated or that would be an argument the ANTZ use against smoking vs. NRT. The only unknown is the artificial flavors, but as most of the flavorings used in e-cigarettes are also used for baking and candy making, it would probably have already come to light if artificial butterscotch or strawberry flavorings turned into something toxic after being heated! As far as WTA liquid - there simply is no way of knowing at this time what the effects of heating WTA are at this time. But it is heated at such low temperatures it's unlikely there is any chemical change in the WTA ingredient and it's just carried along in the PG.

It would be some concern if you are using a device that heats to a very high temperature or if your atomizer is "gunky" and actually burning material. So, while there are some very low risks we DO need to be aware of using e-cigarettes, a "chemical change" caused by heating the ingredients just enough to create a mist shouldn't be high on the list - if even on the list.

 

[POSEIDON]

That article baffled me. In this day and age of readily and quickly available information from MULTIPLE sources the writer seemed to wish to be willfully ignorant of the truth(or as much of it as we currently know). This is the most annoying thing about the entire article.

 

[aubergine]

Well, at this moment there are 87 people reading that article still, and 111 comments, many of them really terrific. Beast regulars read the comments, and I'm very glad that it appeared, in a way. I always comment on anything stupid about ecigs that I run into, but it's usually a little box at the bottom of an obscure blog or something. I'm still arguing over there, which is satisfying.

 

[Lilkurty]

Found this thead in ECF by a member that does not appear to active so I added to the comments.......
It should be interesting to see what comes of it now!

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...-studies-inhalation-effects-vaporized-pg.html

 

[Petrodus]

That article baffled me. In this day and age of readily and quickly available information from MULTIPLE sources the writer seemed to wish to be willfully ignorant of the truth(or as much of it as we currently know). This is the most annoying thing about the entire article.

Reminds me of lying politicians on the campaign trails.
They know there are Fact Checkers out there who will prove they lied.
Doesn't make any difference to them. The larger audience will hear the lies.
The minority ... some time later ... might, hear the truth from fact checkers.

Actually ... The reality is most do NOT research and choose to believe
what they want to believe. Tell people what they want to hear and make
it sound possible ... Why spend time researching to find out if its a lie.
Human Nature thing.

A great way to convince people of a lie ...
fool people into believing a lie ... Use the phrase "A recent study"
A Recent study has proven ... bla bla bla. The word "Study" sounds
so very scientific and official. Heck, anyone can do a study.
Many will just assume what ever garbage follows "A Recent Study"
must be true and little need to question the propaganda.

We've seen this ploy used countless time regarding e-cigarettes.

Another way to sway public opinion is to take the results of a poll
and twist the statistics to prove an agenda. Many just assume if 75%
of those polled believe XYZ then it must be true.

 

[aubergine]

It's a bad ol world. I've been reading a lot of Mark Twain lately, just to remind myself that it's always been a bad ol world, hold steady and pass the moonshine.

 

[Petrodus]

It's a bad ol world. I've been reading a lot of Mark Twain lately, just to remind myself that it's always been a bad ol world, hold steady and pass the moonshine.

I enjoy Mark Twain
Reminding us how many human nature traits ... are ageless.

One of his more famous quotes ...
It's easy to quit smoking. I've done it hundreds of times.

 

[kristin]

Aubergine, you may like this response from a journalist at Reason.com: How E-Cigarette Alarmists Endanger Smokers' Lives, or Why Eli Lake Should Not Switch Back to Marlboros - Hit & Run : Reason.com

 

[POSEIDON]

http://tobaccoanalysis.blogspot.com/search?q="electronic+cigarettes"&max-results=20&by-date=true

I dont know who this guy is but I like him(it is a bit tldr but worth a read).