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Friday 24 January 2014

My notes on "The rise of the e cigarette" ITV shambles of a program


Chris Choi presented "The Rise of E cigarettes" on ITV last night - the "New nicotine". You can find it on catchup.

Right from the start we heard that toxins in e cigarettes had not been adequately researched, but that e cigarettes might be the "Greatest opportunity to reduce tobacco smoking"

So far so good - I was pretty calm. I was calm until I saw the diagram of what an e cigarette is and then I knew this report was going to be shit! The cartomiser was labelled a battery and the battery, the cartomiser!  Even if no one took note of the diagram, this showed profound ignorance in the team putting the show together ("hurriedly" was Choi's excuse on Vapourtrails TV).

There was a moment in an interview with a Chinese Manufacturer who had seen his sales explode and that recently 10 million e cigs were sold by his factory alone. This means to me that Choi's question "Do they work?" shows they really actually do. People are not idiots buying a consumer product that doesn't work!

On the suggestion that e cigarettes are a smoking revolution for young people, I want to point out that they are a revolution FOR SMOKERS.

The vendor made me cringe! Nuff said.

Chris Choi's interview with Dave Dorn disappeared in a flash, and I found his suggestion that "Can you believe it? - a TELEVISION STATION for vapers !" pretty patronising - especially as he hardly showed it.

My distress level was now on the increase - I can recognise lazily researched "let's find the creepiest examples of something to put on display here" attitude.

But I was absolutely incensed by  the story of "Terry". Terry switched to e cigs - his doctor said it was oil blended with nicotine - he died. He died of Lipoid pneumonia by inhaling oil in his e cig. Terry's wife was adamant.  This should never have appeared in an e cigarette report. It was chosen for its gasp factor - vapers don't inhale oil and it showed what an ignorant idiot his doctor was to even say such a thing. If the doctor mixed the e liquid, that's another matter. Neither propylene glycol nor vegetable glycerin is oil. It's GLYCERIN! It's been inhaled medically for a very long time.  This was an irresponsible unforgivable segment for a report on e cigarettes - no evidence of any kind to back it up, but burned in the brain forever. Shame on you!

So, back to serious questions (again) toxins in e cigarettes haven't been researched and people from Public Health tell us that to shore up the fear factor! Discussion goes onto advertising and that  Big Tobacco are right there regarding e cigarettes - but I have to point out they came in late and are trying to catch up. They are still stuck on 1st generation stuff and vapers have moved on from that. 

The only e cigarettes discussed were 1st generation, though egos, tanks and mods did make a fleeting appearance with no mention of the variety, so the public watching the program will know that an e cigarette consists  of a cartomiser that is called a battery and a battery that is called a cartomiser and it looks like a cigarette!

Having got over Terry, we came to the "Cheeeldren" in the car who's Mum was shocked by them hearing an e cigarette ad on the car radio.  Oh wow!  There is a generation of kids who have never seen smoking. But there is a growing knowledge amongst cheeeldren about e cigarettes. The marketing is targeting the young. And I point out, Chris Choi, that children under 18 can't buy them in UK because they are so regulated!

I was told that Elites are at the CENTRE of the e cig industry in the UK - they are? News to me. I reckon, it was easier to interview them because they are in your face everywhere so it looks that way and the research team doing this program did it the easy way, regurgitation of stuff from Public Health antis and choosing the closest vendor and the most sensation story of possible e cigarette toxins that killed poor old Terry.

Shame on ITV. A more inaccurate and biased program couldn't have been made. I am very sorry that your viewers will believe it to be true!

Professor Robert West  (names mixed up here, can you believe?) threw us a bone in the end - e cigarettes might give the opportunity to end the era of tobacco in his lifetime.

But THAT is not what viewers will remember!

And as a vaper, I found it totally disappointing.

12 comments:

  1. Our blog posts should be married! Here's mine (http://josefk1925.wordpress.com/2014/01/24/shaking-the-foundations-of-beige/)!

    Thanks for that, Liz. 'Totally disappointing' is right.

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    1. Ha ha - I've just commented on your blog! We have synchronised! And Beige it was indeed!

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  2. An excellent summary of the programme and I completely agree with you

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    1. I'm glad you agree with me. I'm astonished that some people think it was all right - and it got us airtime! But who wants bad airtime?

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  3. Completely agree with you Liz. Including the story of that poor man's death was unforgivable and shoddy journalism. So very damaging too, as that's what most uninformed people will take away from the whole show. That's apart from the pop journalism, shoddy facts and decisions to include some of the most uninformed people they could find (ie the vendor). I hope to hell Chris Choi leaves us alone now!

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    1. Well, hopefully another channel might do a better job.

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  4. Thank you Liz. You have said it all. I left the programme with a heavy heart knowing that the majority of viewers would swallow the garbage being dished out. After the programme I noticed the number of adverts for pharmaceutical products: medicines;NRT; cosmetics; personal hygiene; household cleaners; washing powder;... the list is endless, If pharma ever pulled the plug on ITV, the television company would be bankrupt. A very good reason for lies and distortions.

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    1. Yes - I left the program with a deep suspicion that no "report" on ITV - and maybe ALL of telly will ever be believed by me again.

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  5. Totally agree with you Liz, also Europe is trying to ban e-cigs or impose some big tax on them. If the powers that be wanted people to give up tobacco smoking and be more healthy then surely e-cigs are a good way. But of course they will lose big tax's and hence would rather people die and keep there big source of income to waste on themselves. So priority is to scare people away from giving up tax generating tobacco and a TV program like this is aimed to do that.Sadly the public will believe what ever they see on TV or told to by politicians. It will probably turn out the makers of this program are connected to the government or Europe or the tobacco companies. A ex smoker.. Thanks to the vaping community for all you do.

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    1. I think the media are warped by the whole smokefree ideology. We don't really see how powerful it is because it is hidden. As Brainyfurball said the pharmaceutical industry are supporting ITV via advertising. They have their foot in their back. Its a shame really. So corrupt.

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  6. I tried watching it as an "uninformed joe public" but couldn't remove the underhand digs at vaping,I also watched VTTV with Choi on afterwards,and couldn't help shouting at my screen "that was crap,that's crap & you should know it,& more crap,lies"etc and then after ITV had condemned e-cigs Julie Etchinghams sign off had me shouting so loudly the dog went into hiding as she uttered "EU meet soon to SPECIFICALLY debate e-cig regulation" That is what we are protesting so much about,the e-cigs have been lumped in with TPD & as such,they aren't being discussed SPECIFICALLY at all.

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    1. Ha ha ha - dog in hiding! And your'e right, e cigs should be removered from TPD. Thanks for you comment - made me laugh.

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