Enemies of Reason Poundshop potshots at the media moral maze.

Unbiased reporting and the Mail

You can trust what you read in the Mail. When they say something, you know they've got no other reason to be telling you so.

So for example when Mail readers heard on May 25th about vibration exercisers, they got a fair, impartial and unbiased report on their effectiveness. The Mail report said:

The rich and famous swear by them, but can vibration platforms really help you tone up?

Research suggests that, used correctly, they’ll not only help you lose weight, but will trim the harmful fat that settles around the internal organs and raises the risk of heart disease.

Sounds great! How about this research, then?

Scientists at the University of Antwerp in Belgium studied the effects of using a Power Plate in a group of overweight or obese people - mostly women.

...

After six months, the diet-only group lost 6 per cent of their body weight, the aerobic exercise group 7 per cent and the vibration group 11 per cent

Sounds kosher. Except... the research hasn't quite been peer-reviewed yet.

Ah come now, you're saying. It's not as if the Mail's got a reason to push vibration exercise above other forms of exercise, is it? And they were probably just copying and pasting a press release, you're thinking. And of course you're right about the laziness.

But... have a look at this item on special offer at the Mail's online store, having been promoted in the dead-tree paper. Why, it's a vibration exerciser that stands to make the Mail a good amount of money if many readers decide to buy them!

It's just a coincidence, I'm sure.

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