Inside Healthcare Investigations: Exposing the Realities of Clinical Research

Join Dr. Deborah Cohen, an award-winning investigative journalist and broadcaster, for an insightful conversation on uncovering critical issues in healthcare and clinical research. With her extensive experience in leading major investigations for The BMJ, BBC Newsnight, Panorama, and Channel 4 Dispatches, Dr. Cohen has exposed systemic challenges, driven policy change, and held powerful institutions accountable. In this session, she will share her approach to combining rigorous data analysis with storytelling, and discuss how investigative journalism can illuminate critical health and research issues that impact patients, practitioners, and policymakers alike. This is a unique opportunity to hear from a trailblazer who has transformed the way complex healthcare topics are communicated to the public and the global stage.

Comments in the chat:
lydie meheus: ACF is very grateful for the great job investigational journalists from Belgium, Spain and Germany did to warn cancer patients against fake cellular treatments last month: https://www.anticancerfund.org/en
Alan Cassels: William Randolph Hearst allegedly said "News is something somebody doesn't want printed; all else is advertising". What percentage of mainstream health reporting these days would you consider largely promotion, advertising or marketing?
Amanda Adler: Serious question: why is freedom of information getting more difficult? I heard from a prominent academic last night he has experienced this too.
Peter Selley: Failure to comply may result in the Information
Commissioner making written certification of this fact to the High Court
pursuant to section 54 of the Act and may be dealt with as a contempt
of court.
Susan: We should take a vote of this educated audience as to what % of mainstream health stories they think are marketing (aided by the cut & paste of press releases)?
Stella O'Brien: I recall ivermectin so well.
susan:

Oh yes. I am pleased that all the fears about death threats didn't come about. I think the great British Public was satisfied that 'in research only' was not a 'No'. This seems to be being fought out again with puberty blockers
Dorothy Bishop: Have you been surprised at recent exposures of fraud in high-profile research on Alzheimers - I'm thinking of Masliah and also Cassava
David Colquhoun: I loved my encounter with an Information Tribunal - but it took years to get the info https://www.dcscience.net/2009/12/08/...
Francois Maignen: Do you think that Public Health authorities should have structures aimed at investigating research misconduct and meta-research?
Kim Witczak: Great interview!!!

Thoughts on how investigative health journalism can effectively uncover and report on health risks and industry influences in an environment where powerful interests use mis-& disinformation to suppress critical voices and control public narratives. We saw this harms and science around COVID vaccines.
Francois Maignen: And do you think that the (legal) tools to punish misconduct are insufficient?
Neil O'Connell: Such an important message. These are not victimless crimes so we effectively have a responsibility not to be surprised at either misconduct or commercial distortion
susan: Given we have specialist police investigators about Art Fraud, would a specialist unit into Medical Fraud be welcome and possible (given its a crime with potential lethal outcomes)
Dorothy Bishop: I can't easily find the paper with Garnier on BCG. Could we have a source please?!
susan: is it this? Cochrane review? https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31038...
Dorothy Bishop: Ah thanks. I think it's this (I had mispelt one author) https://www.bmj.com/content/360/bmj.j...
Francois Maignen: The only example of high profile punishment is Wakefield and MMR, he is still doing a lot of damages (outside the UK)...
Stella O'Brien: Elisabeth Bik and others seem to encounter difficulties in reporting error even when they are not claiming fraud or malfeasance but straightforward error.
lydie meheus: When it comes to fraudulent treatments in European private clinics (see above) not much can be done today because of the Treaty (Art 168)
susan: I don't think people start off labelling themselves as 'whistle-blowers', they are just good, honest people who ask questions and raise concerns. Often these questions will be responded to. I think we should be careful not to discourage virtueous people or wind up the fearful.
Francois Maignen: Deborah, do you think that some politicians promote misconduct in some instances (eg Raoult and HCQ)?
Francois Maignen: Should they be held liable?
Stella O'Brien: I remember how bone-aching it was to try and get corrections to articles about Wakefield and MMR. Broadsheet Readers' Editors used to say, "I don't understand science" when nothing more complicated than an ability to do simple maths was involved.