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Hatton is off with the fairies
It seems to me that Les Hatton is guilty of a significantly greater degree of hyperbole than the programme that he takes such delight in belittling (BBC’s Panorama panders to the ignorant, 18 June).
I see little in his article to justify his accusation of “mathematically dysfunctional, scare-mongering drivel”. Indeed most of his article appears to be taken up with a hypothetical misrepresentation of science, which owes more to his own imagination than it does to Panorama.
Hatton admits that the programme openly acknowledged that half the studies show an effect and half do not – though he presents this more as an accusation than as recognition of impartial reporting. He then refers to “statistical concepts” – as if a failure to observe an effect in 50 percent of studies makes the situation OK.
It seems to me that it is Hatton, not Panorama, that is off with the fairies and he is not taking me with him.
Grahame Blackwell
July 9, 2007 in Wireless | Permalink
Comments
I agree wholeheartedly with Grahame Blackwell. Time after time, we have read and heard of 'pseudo-scientists' such as Mr Hatton disparaging the Panorama programme in question. These people do not appear to understand that they are, in effect, disparaging Professor Sir William Stewart, the Chairman of the HPA and the government's principal adviser on such matters, whose learned opinion was central to the thrust of the programme. Why are they not honest enough, I wonder, to come clean and criticise him?
Posted by: David Baron | 13 Jul 2007 17:26:33
I have just written to the Health Protection Agency about the effects of these technologies using pulsed microwave radiation on a percentage of the population and they way the HPA, mobile phone/TETRA operators and the Government continue to ignore Sir William Stewart's recommendations for a precautionary approach and further research.
The issues of the vulnerability of our children; cancer clusters around mobile phone and TETRA masts; the growing numbers who are electro hypersensitive;
and the non-sensitive who share the same symptoms or become ill unexpectedly should not be ignored to "wait for the science". Monitoring and good honest research should be in place now. These new technologies are untried and untested. There is no evidence that they are safe.
Panorama didn't have the time to cover enough! Those who attack this program
must surely have hidden agendas to ignore the alarming rise in "anecdotal evidence" and the suffering of humans and animal life.
Posted by: Sandi L | 14 Jul 2007 05:38:08
