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Celebritiesand Science 2013
So here it is. Or rather, isn’t. There will be no Celebrities and Science review of 2013. No round up of celebrities’ misleading claims and none of the usual effort by scientists to work out the underlying misconceptions that gave rise to them. That’s not to say our file’s empty. In fact it is pretty full this year of examples people have alerted us to of silly diets and products and some more serious celebrity support for causes that fly in the face of evidence on cancer, autism, agriculture and much else. But the file is also full of responses and fuller than ever of examples of people in the public eye drawing attention to the importance of evidence on those subjects, and on others such as illegal drugs and wacky cures.
We decided not to run the review this year because of some positive changes. At Sense About Science we like change. That’s what we exist for so in every part of our work we look for the moment when we are not needed and can move to other things.
We published the Celebrities and Science review for seven years. Light hearted as they often were, the reviews have been more valuable than we ever looked for them to be...
We revisited celebrity statements and learned some things. Sometimes we didn’t know whether a celebrity statement was wrong, and if it was, why, or what the real picture was, and that was with an office full of people interested in asking. (Okay we know that large molecules can’t penetrate the skin but how small do they have to be? And we knew that Simon Cowell didn’t need intravenous vitamin injections, but were they just stupid, or dangerous?) Many lifestyle writers and broadcasters hadn’t known either. To run the review we had to find out. People used the counterpoints from scientists to go on challenging the statements themselves, which is a big hurrah!
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It reached the parts that science rarely reached, especially back in 2006 when it started. The NME, Chat magazine and BBC Radio One discussed whether statements about radiation, vaccines or the dangers of drinking milk were true. That wasn’t just useful on specifics but in establishing that there is often a ‘science question’ to be asked when celebrities talk about their diets or fads. Celebrity claims circulate well beyond traditional newspaper readership; some go global. The review didn’t quite match them but it drew some of the same audience, and it went global too. By 2011 we saw well over 200 reports before we stopped counting.
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Celebrities took notice. Well, agents, which is what matters. Every year we offered help and reminded people that it was just a phone call away. And increasingly they have used it, including people who were named in early reviews.
And that is one of the things that has changed. Not only are scientists a bit more plentiful in the public eye but some actors, comedians, celebrity chefs, TV stars, musicians and magicians have sought evidence and made a point of its importance to their followers. We have called on our database of specialists and research bodies to respond to requests for advice and some of those relationships now continue without our input. Our efforts aren’t alone. Many charities with celebrity patrons make a point of briefing them well – see the lovely comment below from Gaby Roslin for Breakthrough Breast Cancer. We started commenting on these better examples a few years ago, and that section of the review has grown each year. In fact if we had run the review this year the good examples would have been about equal with the bad.
Chris Morris probably also helped. Asking famous people to help beat the devastating drug ‘cake’ and champion fictional causes such as an elephant with its trunk up its backside showed that a few questions might also avoid humiliation. There have been plenty more copycats since and celebrity agents are wary of being had over.
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But the most important thing is that we’re all responding in real time. Why wait for a review? Celebrities are on Twitter and Facebook. People can contact them and they (and their fans) can see what people write about them. Geeks write blogs responding to a news report and talk to celebrity followers on the same hashtag. People who write about evidence – not just us, hundreds of others – pick up examples really quickly. We no longer have clippings sent in from a celebrity mag someone ‘saw at the doctors’ (hmm): people tweet or email us links and we can respond the same day, if someone hasn’t already – there is a lot more responsive capacity too with even the most traditional organisations learning to speak in human on social media.
And that’s what our Ask for Evidence campaign is all about – thousands of people out there asking those who command attention to back up what they say. Even if we were triple the size we are at Sense About Science we wouldn’t be able to respond to everything on celebrities and science. But that campaign can do it. Read on for more about it from our campaign team, and for a little celebrity science nostalgia.
Tracey Brown
Director, Sense About Science
Gaby Roslin is a valued supporter of Breakthrough Breast Cancer. She is Patron to the charity’s £1000 Challenge initiative and has also, recently, featured in their breast cancer awareness television ad. “I take my role as ambassador very seriously; breast cancer is a devastating disease that I have lost dear, beautiful friends to and I don’t want to lose any more. As part of my work with Breakthrough Breast Cancer I have also met other women and families whose worlds have been turned upside down by breast cancer. My involvement with the charity carries a great responsibility, to tell these people’s stories and to help Breakthrough continue their all-important fight to ultimately stop women dying from this disease. I do my best to stay on top of the issue, but having Breakthrough keep me informed of which facts and figures are vital to spread this message makes such a difference.”
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Looking backCelebrities and Science 2006 in which lifestyle guru Carol Caplin spoke about “… the importance of keeping the lymph system clear and unclogged” to prevent breast cancer. Madonna spoke out about her work with scientists “neutralising radiation”. Good news on the celebrity science front was in pretty short supply back then…
Celebrities and Science 2007 in which Gwyneth Paltrow talked about “eating biological foods” as a way of avoiding cancer. Nicole Kidman, Julie Walters, Philip Schofield and Patrick Stewart tried to reduce their Brain Age, endorsing Nintendo’s Dr. Kawashima’s Brain Training. On the good news front Derren Brown explained that asking “is it peer reviewed?” is a valuable question to start with.
Celebrities and Science 2008 in which Kelly Osbourne said she was convinced microwave ovens cause cancer. Jenny McCarthy mixed up correlation and causation on MMR and autism. Barack Obama and John McCain also linked MMR with autism but American actor Amanda Peet said: “14 studies have been conducted (both here in the US and abroad), and these tests are reproducible; no matter where they are administered, or who is funding them, the conclusion is the same: there is no association between autism and vaccines.”
Celebrities and Science 2009 in which footballer Robin van Persie (then of Arsenal) and four players from Liverpool FC had horse placenta fluid dripped on their injuries. Van Persie said: “She is vague about her methods but I know she massages you using fluid from a placenta.” The good news for 2009 was provided by
80’s rock star Bonnie Tyler who said, when questioned about trying acupuncture: “I lost some weight but I was also on a more sensible diet at the same time which, if I’m cynical, is more likely the reason for the weight loss”, and actor Natascha McElhone said sensible things about tetanus inoculation.
Celebrities and Science 2010 in which Olivia Newton-John said she took digestive enzymes and plant tonics to boost her immune system, Naomi Campbell championed a maple syrup, lemon and pepper regime and while Girls Aloud’s Sarah Harding sprinkled charcoal over her meals. Cage fighter Alex Reid shared his tips for preparing for a fight – reabsorbing his sperm. There were plenty of positives, including Jennifer Aniston’s challenge to reports that she followed a ‘baby food diet’.
Celebrities and Science 2011 saw a strange difficulty with understanding the sea. US political commentator Bill O’Reilly claimed we have no understanding of how tides work, while reality TV’s Snooki Polizzi put forward her own theory for why the sea is salty (too much whale sperm). Among the short-cuts to better health, Suzi Quatro took a colon cleanser and Simon Cowell took his vitamins intravenously. But we saw some good sense from the A-listers including Helen Mirren: “what makes you lose weight – not eating.”
Celebrities and Science 2012 saw a decline in some long-time serial offenders including detox diets and immune ‘boosting’ products. Cricketer Stuart Broad, comedian Al Murray and musician Gary Kemp spoke sense on fad diets, vitamin supplements and alternative medicine. Gwyneth Paltrow had temporarily given up odd diets after suffering from malnutrition and others in the public eye sought advice from Sense About Science and medical charities. Could it be that we were turning a corner?
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Ask for Evidence: Celebrity claims and everything elseWhen people in the public eye give their opinions on causes of disease, cures, diets or products we should buy or avoid, their claims can go worldwide in seconds. It gets public attention and appears in every related Google search for months.
Ask for Evidence is a campaign to get everyone – as consumers, citizens and voters – to chase those claims and question them. The more of us who ask for the evidence behind a claim – whether that’s by a celebrity or by a company, politician, researcher, advertiser or journalist – the more people will expect to be asked and the more likely it is that they will check things first.
Requests for evidence have already led to claims being withdrawn, better explained and exposed. This is geeks working with the public to park their tanks on the lawn of those who seek to influence us. And it’s starting to work.
So if you see it, ask for evidence.
If you say it, check the evidence.
You can read more about asking for evidence and see how others have got on with requests and responses here:
www.senseaboutscience.org/pages/a4e.html
If you need help on any of it – asking, responding, or checking the facts before you speak, call Sense About Science on 020 7490 9590.
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @Senseaboutsci
Facebook: www.facebook.com/senseaboutscience
Designed by Sean McMahon: www.fourthpla.net
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