November 30, 2009
Rick Martinez writes a zero Burr column — is Hell getting frosty?
For those who don’t know, Rick Martinez writes the house conservative column for the News & Observer. His musings are usually the best evidence of a liberal bias at the N&O. If the paper printed the writings of a more thoughtful conservative, then the conservative viewpoint on important issues of the day would have more sway. Martinez, on the other hand, is often easily dismissed.
Not in his latest editorial.
Here at Progressive Pulse we are rating the claims of public figures on a scale of 0 to 5 Burrs — named after the propensity of our senior senator, Richard Burr, to distort facts. Zero Burrs means the writer is entirely truthful. And the latest editorial by Martinez is exactly that — entirely truthful.
He is considering the backlash over the recommendation by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force that women under 50 not have regular mammograms unless recommended by their physician.
Martinez quotes credible, and interesting, sources and does not, at least to my knowledge, misrepresent the data. He also avoids spurious claims about rationing.
Below is the last paragraph of the article. I would recommend reading the entire editorial.
What a shame. If health care reform is ever to become meaningful and costs manageable, emotional dismissals of evidence-based treatment research must end. Science, even when results are counterintuitive, must be allowed to discern between smart practices that yield tangible medical results and those that simply make the doctor feel good.
Keep it up Rick. I hope this is not the last zero Burr column you ever write.
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4 Comments Add yours »
Love the Burrs ratings. Interesting observations on the Martinez pice. Though I doubt the Martinez piece has or will be reviewed, there is an outstanding website from Health News Review (healthnews.review.org) that reviews/rates media articles related to healthcare according to established health journalism criteria. It’s one to check out, particularly as it relates to various articles on the latest mammogram guidelines.
Ooops. I forgot I can’t include pictures. Here are some burrs if you need them.
I like the Burrs, James. We can stick it in the media library. BR, great recommendation. Health News Reviews is an excellent site — I wish some of our state’s reporters spent more time there.