Shockingly bad local article

[Anjaffm]

There is more truth in this statement then that entire NEWS/Entertainment story.

Thank you very much.

Ya know, there use to be a time, not too long ago, when the NEWS reported just the facts. Not the facts according to who paid them.

I guess that's the one thing we all need to realise. NEWS makes their money through advertising. It's just a shame that thier advertising has spilled over into their NEWS reporting.

I know.
Some time ago, in Germany, a big huge FUD campaign was started against vaping.
Some crap was sent out to the press - and it was printed copy & paste in all kinds of publications all over the country. With not one single word changed. Not one single word. Let alone with some research done on any of the idiotic lies (antifreeze blather blather) that that press "news bit" contained.

Some of us were more than shocked to see that same crap copy & pasted even into the online version of a formerly good, reputable and investigative weekly magazine.

There is a saying in French, when looking for the causes of something '"Cherchez la femme" (= Look for the woman ).
Well, nowadays, forget women. It should read "Cherchez l'argent" (= look for the money).

 

[AgentAnia]

:wearing my trend-spotting hat: What I see here is a first foray into the next ANTZ tactic. They tried the "gateway" theory that ecigs would lead youth to smoking tobacco. That was disproved. They tried the "flavors to attract kids to smoking" theory. No joy. So now they're taking it one step further. Forget smoking. Forget flavors. Now it's "kids are drinking e-liquid" (with a dastardly clever, but oh-so-disprovable "flavors are tempting kids to drink e-liquid") to get high. I have no doubt, ridiculous but dangerous as the concept is, that we'll be seeing more of this....

That a chemist from a state crime lab would allow himself to be quoted in an article such as this makes me seriously doubt both his credentials and his professionalism, and by extension the work done by his organization.

I add my voice to the fear expressed on this thread and in the article comments: What if just one youth gets the idea to try this, from reading the article? Irresponsible reporting, and surely one of the most egregious examples of public health malpractice I've seen to date.

 

[firechick]

The unfortunate truth is that many people still believe what they see or hear from the media without even an ounce of doubt because they trust that reporters are actually researching what they report. Plenty of people would automatically assume that a crime lab employee is knowledgeable in their field and correct in their findings. This is what we will have to overcome if we ever hope to have vaping viewed as a less harmful and acceptable alternative.

 

[Steamix]

The needle of my BS-meter just jumped outta the casing...

But let's face it - that part of the media that isn't controlled by gubmint is fighting hard to make ends meet. Investigative journalism like back in the days of Watergate is costly. Much cheaper to copy-paste some garbage off the ticker, especially when the editor-in-chief gets told that it might please certain paying advertisers....

As one writer once put it : Eating first, ethics second

 

[Anjaffm]

:wearing my trend-spotting hat: What I see here is a first foray into the next ANTZ tactic. They tried the "gateway" theory that ecigs would lead youth to smoking tobacco. That was disproved. They tried the "flavors to attract kids to smoking" theory. No joy. So now they're taking it one step further. Forget smoking. Forget flavors. Now it's "kids are drinking e-liquid" (with a dastardly clever, but oh-so-disprovable "flavors are tempting kids to drink e-liquid") to get high. I have no doubt, ridiculous but dangerous as the concept is, that we'll be seeing more of this....

Hm... as to disproving the "ingenious" idea that kids are drinking (!) yummy tasting (uhm... ) e-liquid to get "high on nicotine" (utter complete BS) - well I would love to ask one of those idiots to just dip their fingertip in that oh-so-yummy-tasting liquid and lick it off

Rock juice, indeed. Even the National Enquirer would be ashamed to publish such kind of hogwash. Unless, of course, the kids who allegedly get high on drinking "rock juice" are abducted by aliens

Every time I think "You can't get any more stupid than that!" - somebody comes along and proves me wrong

edit:

The unfortunate truth is that many people still believe what they see or hear from the media without even an ounce of doubt because they trust that reporters are actually researching what they report. Plenty of people would automatically assume that a crime lab employee is knowledgeable in their field and correct in their findings. This is what we will have to overcome if we ever hope to have vaping viewed as a less harmful and acceptable alternative.

Yeah, unfortunately.
Reminds me of the commercials with some guy in a white coat pushing tooth paste or such stuff.
Oh, that actor is wearing a white coat! He must know what he is talking about!
Or one of my "favorite" tooth paste commercials in Germany, with some woman saying "As a dentist's wife, I recommend toothpaste XYZ". Duh...

And the weird thing is: People know exactly (in the meantime) that this advertising is a bunch of horse manure. Actors in white coats, indeed. But when they see the same crap on the news, then "it must be right, because I saw it on TV". Yeah... sure.. and pigs can fly....

 

[Jay-dub]

This is good stuff. Makes the opposition look ignorant. If they keep crying wolf maybe the public will learn who not to listen to.

 

[Anjaffm]

This is good stuff. Makes the opposition look ignorant. If they keep crying wolf maybe the public will learn who not to listen to.

You got a point. It happened in Germany. In a different context.
The media were hyping the oh-so-horrible dangers of swine flu, bird flu, this flu, that flu.. blather blather... ad nauseam. And everybody got sick of it. All but the worst hypochondriacs.

Well, some time ago at the beginning of a winter, another oh-so-horrible-we-will-all-die influenza strain was supposed to arrive. (short explanation: a new influenza strain arrives just about every winter. The virus mutates. Every year. That is nothing new).
The media screamed bloody murder about the oh-so-horrible threat. And the government of my country purchased a lot of doses of some vaccine against that oh-so-horrible-we-will-all-die influenza. Some vaccine that made Big Pharma a lot of money - and that caused unpleasant side effects in people.

To make a long story short:
Most people did not go to receive silly vaccine. (I did not either). All of those people survived - there WAS no horrible-we-will-all-die influenza outbreak at all. And now the government has to destroy - for a lot of money - all those doses of vaccine that it bought for a lot of money. And Big Pharma is still laughing all the way to the bank.

Yes. Sometimes people get sick and tired of the media crying wolf

 

[firechick]

I believe "Rock Juice" is a liquid label. There are a lot of things in Rocheser, NY called "Rock". It's a play on the city name rather than a reference to the illicit substance called rock.

 

[Wildflowers69]

Its called "Roc Juice" hense Rochester.... and its not good to vape let alone drink!!

 

[Anjaffm]

I believe "Rock Juice" is a liquid label. There are a lot of things in Rocheser, NY called "Rock". It's a play on the city name rather than a reference to the illicit substance called rock.

Oh THAT is what they were referring to!!! Duh... Sorry, I am from Germany and not familiar with such terms... unless I get some prodding.
Jeez.... that is taking FUD to new lows indeed!

Sorry, I have to quote myself:

Every time I think "You can't get any more stupid than that!" - somebody comes along and proves me wrong

("somebody" referring to the jerks who used that word to make a reference to a very nasty substance, not to the poster, of course)

 

[T0rtitude]

Yep, it's a local brand of ejuice, I think. Based on the picture they used on FB when they announced they were going to air a story on the 6:00 news about the "deadly new high middle school age students are experimenting with." See here. And I see on the side of the label that the url for the website is roc-juice. I wonder what they think about 13 using their product in a propaganda piece? Surely that can't be good for their business, especially since 13 lied and implied it's a deadly new street drug called "rock juice" and it's now associated with their brand.

 

[Uma]

Forturnately, in cases such as this, there are minors who have switched to vaping to quit smoking, and they can get the real word out to their peers to not fall for such idiotic news releases as this. One good drop on the tongue and I'm spitting and cursing, especially the pg mixes, in any flavor.
News stations need to be held accountable. Because of stories like this, kids will be trying it out of curiosity, and because their supposed peers already did. This sounds contrived, like a sabotage effort.. put the idear into the minds of the curious, sit back, jump and yell aha!
They kick families out into the street every day without blinking an eye, this is just a bonus to them.

 

[AgentAnia]

"Rock juice" indeed... Not being from Rochester, I too didn't make that connection. Instead, I assumed, probably like most not-from-Rochester readers, that the reference was to another illegal drug. So, I too fell for the article's "Dept. of Sly Innuendo at work."

 

[AgentAnia]

Yep, it's a local brand of ejuice, I think. Based on the picture they used on FB when they announced they were going to air a story on the 6:00 news about the "deadly new high middle school age students are experimenting with." See here. And I see on the side of the label that the url for the website is roc-juice. I wonder what they think about 13 using their product in a propaganda piece? Surely that can't be good for their business, especially since 13 lied and implied it's a deadly new street drug called "rock juice" and it's now associated with their brand.

If I were the vendor, I would certainly make as big a stink as possible, and as public a one, as I and my lawyers could contrive!

 

[AgentAnia]

Forturnately, in cases such as this, there are minors who have switched to vaping to quit smoking, and they can get the real word out to their peers to not fall for such idiotic news releases as this. One good drop on the tongue and I'm spitting and cursing, especially the pg mixes, in any flavor.....

Unfortunately, I worry that, youth being... well, youthful... some kids who are vapers (and who haven't gotten high from their ecigs, btw) will think "Oh great! I have the juice, now all I have to do is drink some to get really high..." That's what scares me most of all...

(What comforts me a bit is knowing that one taste of e-liquid, of whatever flavor, will hopefully disabuse most them of the idea pretty quick!)

 

[T0rtitude]

If I were the vendor, I would certainly make as big a stink as possible, and as public a one, as I and my lawyers could contrive!

I sent them a message with links in case no one has yet. They need to be aware of this. 13 needs to be knocked down a few pegs. Like I said before, this isn't their first time. They thrive on any viewership, hits to their website, and FB followers. They usually don't even respond to negative feedback. This story is more harmful than their usual idiotic reporting though. They really do need to atone for it.

 

[AgentAnia]

I sent them a message with links in case no one has yet. They need to be aware of this. 13 needs to be knocked down a few pegs. Like I said before, this isn't their first time. They thrive on any viewership, hits to their website, and FB followers. They usually don't even respond to negative feedback. This story is more harmful than their usual idiotic reporting though. They really do need to atone for it.

Well done! Harmful on two levels: to the vendor, and also to any youth this article might inspire to try the idiocy they talk about.

I would also hope that Phil Busardo, being local, would get involved...

 

[T0rtitude]

"Rock juice" indeed... Not being from Rochester, I too didn't make that connection. Instead, I assumed, probably like most not-from-Rochester readers, that the reference was to another illegal drug. So, I too fell for the article's "Dept. of Sly Innuendo at work."

lol I'm from Rochester and I didn't make the connection at first even when looking at the picture they posted on FB. I'm like, "rock juice... huh?" It took it a while to click.

 

[Orb Skewer]

In my youth-one summer the 'story' circulated that you could get high smoking banana skins
That 'street myth' lasted one summer-kids have survived for millenia-which might surprise some................

 

[Jay-dub]

On second thought, this is for old people who are completely disconnected from youth culture. Plus, who's the number one consumer of news in this format? Yep, disconnected old people. It's like a story a year or two ago about the "epidemic" of kids soaking tampons in alcohol and shoving them up their butts to get drunk. Remember that? Probably not. It was more of the same.