McKee, Martin

LSHTM Research Online

McKee, M (2014) Social media attacks on public health advocates.BMJ (Clinical research ed), 349. g6006. ISSN 0959-8138 DOI: 10.1136/bmj.g6006Downloaded from: http://researchonline.lshtm.ac.uk/2006404/DOI: 10.1136/bmj.g6006Usage GuidelinesPlease refer to usage guidelines at http://researchonline.lshtm.ac.uk/policies.html or alterna-tively contact researchonline@lshtm.ac.uk.Available under license: Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercialhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/PUBLIC HEALTHSocial media attacks on public health advocatesHow big corporations are helping to fund the internet trollsMartin McKee professor of European public health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineFor those who advocate for healthy public policies, social mediaare both a blessing and a curse. They offer a means ofcommunicating instantly to large audiences. Yet they also offerthe opportunity for those seeking to undermine public health toundermine you. Your words are taken out of context and twisted.You are insulted and abused on Twitter. Most of us soon realisethat this is the price to be paid for taking a stand and refuse toengage with our attackers, whose main aim seems to be toprovoke a hostile response that they can ruthlessly exploit. Werapidly become adept at using Twitter’s “block” function.But who is behind these attacks? It is not always easy to know,as many shelter behind the anonymity afforded by the web.Some are clearly extreme libertarians, opposed to any role forthe state and, especially, anything that gets in the way of theright of informed adults to engage in activities that are likely tokill them prematurely. Some seem to be deeply troubledindividuals, who in the past might have spent their days on asoap box in the marketplace, holding forth to anyone who wasprepared to listen to them.But some are professionals, paid by large corporations to attackothers. Although this was long suspected, these suspicions havebeen strengthened by recent events in New Zealand. In August2014 a New Zealand journalist, Nicky Hager, published a bookentitled Dirty Politics.1 It was produced in conditions of greatsecrecy, given the explosive nature of the allegations itcontained, and rapidly became a best seller there. Its primarysource was a cache of emails sent or received by the author ofthe right wing “Whaleoil” blog, Cameron Slater. Most of theallegations concerned politics, linking attacks on oppositionparty politicians and civil servants to messages from seniorpoliticians in the ruling National Party or those close to them,including unauthorised use of intelligence files. The then justiceminister, Judith Collins, who was implicated in some of theseallegations, eventually succumbed to widespread pressure andresigned.2While Dirty Politics is gripping reading simply on account ofits tales of intrigue, it is of particular interest to anyone workingin public health, as it makes allegations about some of thosewhose money was, albeit circuitously, paying Slater. Theyincluded tobacco, food, and alcohol companies. Thesecompanies had engaged a public relations consultant, CarrickGraham, the son of a senior National Party politician. Grahampaid Slater a reported $NZ6555 (£3180; €4160; $US5080) amonth to promote the interests of his clients, which includedonline attacks on those whose work threatened his clients’interests. Other payments came through Katherine Rich, headof the trade body the Food and Grocery Council, who,improbably, given her role as a spokesperson for the food andalcohol industry, had been appointed by the government to theboard of the Health Promotion Agency.The targets of these attacks included Doug Sellman, an eminentphysician who headed New Zealand’s National AddictionCentre. Sellman was a prominent critic of the activities of thealcohol industry. Of him Slater said, “Any ounce of credibilitythat this guy once had has long since evaporated,” and, “Maybeit’s time Doug has a quiet beer under a tree and learns to calmthe f**k down.”3Another target wasWendyl Nissen, a columnistfor the New Zealand Herald, who had criticised the use ofartificial colours in soft drinks and processed foods.4In some cases the apparent offence was no more than to reporta story that the industry would like to go away. Matty McLean,a presenter for Television New Zealand, reported on the recallof a cream product contaminated by Escherichia coli. The Foodand Grocery Council was concerned about the resultingpublicity, and, as Hager’s investigation showed, Graham emailedsome text to Slater, which he published on his blog the next daywith the heading “Calm down, move on,” and continuing,“You’d think the plague had hit New Zealand . . . People needmartin.mckee@lshtm.ac.ukFor personal use only: See rights and reprints http://www.bmj.com/permissions Subscribe: http://www.bmj.com/subscribeBMJ 2014;349:g6006 doi: 10.1136/bmj.g6006 (Published 8 October 2014) Page 1 of 2ObservationsOBSERVATIONSto calm the f**k down.”5Later that day Slater accused journalistssuch as McLean of “scraping the barrel” with this story.6Attacks such as this are not limited to New Zealand. Similarattacks have been made on British public health professionals,especially those active in tobacco control. Those responsiblefor other blogs and Twitter accounts employing similar tactics,many of which are remarkably prolific, are anonymous. In thelight of the revelations from New Zealand, the public healthcommunity might reasonably be suspicious about who is reallybehind these activities.Competing interests: MMcK has often been the target of attacks in blogsand on Twitter for his advocacy of public health. He was in New Zealandas a guest of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists,occasionally a target of the Whaleoil blog, and spoke at its 25thcommemorative conference.Commissioning and peer review: Commissioned; not peer reviewed.1 Hager N. Dirty politics. Craig Potton Publishing, 2014.2 Judith Collins resigns as NZ justice minister over ties to blogger. Guardian 30 Aug 2014.www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/30/judith-collins-resigns-as-nz-justice-minister-over-ties-to-blogger.3 Slater C. Confirmed: Doug Sellman has gone mad. Whaleoil blog. 27 Feb 2014. www.whaleoil.co.nz/2014/02/confirmed-doug-sellman-gone-mad/.4 Nissen W. Tuning out: Dirty Politics and the blogs. New Zealand Herald 16 Sep 2014.www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11325097.5 Slater C. Calm down, move on. Whaleoil blog. 14 Jan 2014. www.whaleoil.co.nz/2014/01/calm-move.6 Slater C. The world is coming to an end? Whaleoil blog. 14 Jan 2014. www.whaleoil.co.nz/2014/01/world-coming-end.Cite this as: BMJ 2014;349:g6006© BMJ Publishing Group Ltd 2014For personal use only: See rights and reprints http://www.bmj.com/permissions Subscribe: http://www.bmj.com/subscribeBMJ 2014;349:g6006 doi: 10.1136/bmj.g6006 (Published 8 October 2014) Page 2 of 2OBSERVATIONS

Social media attacks on public health advocates.

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