wraggster
November 14th, 2010, 20:02
"You've done what!?"
"Run the story straight, sir. 'Shock rise in rickets in kids'."
"WHAT?!"
"I don't understand what's wrong, sir. It's accurate - and I've got 'shock' in there, just like you taught me. You know, sex it up a bit."
"No-one cares about sick kids, you buffoon! They care about what's harming them. Do they mention video games?"
"Who?"
"The researchers, boy! The Southampton boffins. Do they mention video games?"
"Erm, not that I can see, sir."
"God, this is a disaster. Well if they won't, we will. 'Game addict kids hit by extinct bone disease'. That's your headline. Write it again."
"But that's... that's not really what they said, sir."
"I just said that's your headline! Are you disagreeing with me boy?"
"No sir. Of course not sir."
The Sun newspaper has this weekend reported that a shock rise in rickets is being caused by kids playing video games - even though the research its story is based on makes no such claim.
But that's not even the strangest element of the Currant Bun's article: The day before, the paper ran the same story... without any mention of games at all. (See image).
Both pieces - the first, 'Shock rise in rickets in kids', and the second, 'Game addict kids hit by 'extinct' bone disease' - contain exactly the same information and quotes.
Could it be that the first story has been hastily edited and re-printed in a desperate attempt to mould it to The Sun's anti-games news agenda?
We're not cynical enough to suggest so. It's just... aside from its screaming headline, the second story only mentions video games once, in its first paragraph. The rest is pretty much a carbon copy of the original report. Even The Sun's own doctor, Carol Cooper, doesn't mention games in her analysis.
Must just be an honest mix-up, right?
Hmmm. This is where it gets really interesting. The Sun's original story reported:
'The rise in the disease has been blamed on poor diet and children not being allowed outside where kids can get a dose of vitamin D from the sun.'
The Sun Says... Video games not to blame.
Then, 24 hours later:
'CRIPPLING bone disease rickets has made a shock comeback - because kids are staying indoors with video games instead of playing in the sunshine.'
The Sun Says... Video games. Very much to blame.
Both stories focus on a new study from Southampton General Hospital. The research found evidence of rickets in a fifth of 200 children monitored.
Consultant paediatric endocrinologist Dr Justin Davies said: "This is almost certainly a combination of the modern lifestyle, which involves a lack of exposure to sunlight, but also covering up in sunshine, and we're seeing cases that are very reminiscent of 17th-century England."
SUN BLOCK MAKES KIDS GO BOW-LEGGED. That's what we'd have gone for, anyway.
But before we get too high and mighty, is there any evidence that this rise doesn't have anything to do with video games?
Maybe The Sun's second story was, in fact, very much in the public interest and we're being... oh no, look - it's nonsense.
'Study leader Professor Nicholas Clarke said: "It is quite astonishing. This is a completely new occurrence that has evolved over the last 12 to 24 months."'
Unlike video games, then. Oh, hang on - that counts out PS3, Wii and Xbox 360. But... the PSP Go? Surely not. Sony... you monsters!
The Sun's double whammy of reports come after similar research from Newcastle University in January - which also found rickets on the rise.
Metro newspaper subsequently spun the story to blame video games for the trend.
Then we got what may be our favourite quote of the year, from Dr Timothy Cheetham, Newcastle University senior lecturer and Royal Victoria Infirmary consultant:
"We did not say that gaming causes rickets."
Yeah. We think we'll believe him.
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=275477?cid=OTC-RSS&attr=CVG-General-RSS
"Run the story straight, sir. 'Shock rise in rickets in kids'."
"WHAT?!"
"I don't understand what's wrong, sir. It's accurate - and I've got 'shock' in there, just like you taught me. You know, sex it up a bit."
"No-one cares about sick kids, you buffoon! They care about what's harming them. Do they mention video games?"
"Who?"
"The researchers, boy! The Southampton boffins. Do they mention video games?"
"Erm, not that I can see, sir."
"God, this is a disaster. Well if they won't, we will. 'Game addict kids hit by extinct bone disease'. That's your headline. Write it again."
"But that's... that's not really what they said, sir."
"I just said that's your headline! Are you disagreeing with me boy?"
"No sir. Of course not sir."
The Sun newspaper has this weekend reported that a shock rise in rickets is being caused by kids playing video games - even though the research its story is based on makes no such claim.
But that's not even the strangest element of the Currant Bun's article: The day before, the paper ran the same story... without any mention of games at all. (See image).
Both pieces - the first, 'Shock rise in rickets in kids', and the second, 'Game addict kids hit by 'extinct' bone disease' - contain exactly the same information and quotes.
Could it be that the first story has been hastily edited and re-printed in a desperate attempt to mould it to The Sun's anti-games news agenda?
We're not cynical enough to suggest so. It's just... aside from its screaming headline, the second story only mentions video games once, in its first paragraph. The rest is pretty much a carbon copy of the original report. Even The Sun's own doctor, Carol Cooper, doesn't mention games in her analysis.
Must just be an honest mix-up, right?
Hmmm. This is where it gets really interesting. The Sun's original story reported:
'The rise in the disease has been blamed on poor diet and children not being allowed outside where kids can get a dose of vitamin D from the sun.'
The Sun Says... Video games not to blame.
Then, 24 hours later:
'CRIPPLING bone disease rickets has made a shock comeback - because kids are staying indoors with video games instead of playing in the sunshine.'
The Sun Says... Video games. Very much to blame.
Both stories focus on a new study from Southampton General Hospital. The research found evidence of rickets in a fifth of 200 children monitored.
Consultant paediatric endocrinologist Dr Justin Davies said: "This is almost certainly a combination of the modern lifestyle, which involves a lack of exposure to sunlight, but also covering up in sunshine, and we're seeing cases that are very reminiscent of 17th-century England."
SUN BLOCK MAKES KIDS GO BOW-LEGGED. That's what we'd have gone for, anyway.
But before we get too high and mighty, is there any evidence that this rise doesn't have anything to do with video games?
Maybe The Sun's second story was, in fact, very much in the public interest and we're being... oh no, look - it's nonsense.
'Study leader Professor Nicholas Clarke said: "It is quite astonishing. This is a completely new occurrence that has evolved over the last 12 to 24 months."'
Unlike video games, then. Oh, hang on - that counts out PS3, Wii and Xbox 360. But... the PSP Go? Surely not. Sony... you monsters!
The Sun's double whammy of reports come after similar research from Newcastle University in January - which also found rickets on the rise.
Metro newspaper subsequently spun the story to blame video games for the trend.
Then we got what may be our favourite quote of the year, from Dr Timothy Cheetham, Newcastle University senior lecturer and Royal Victoria Infirmary consultant:
"We did not say that gaming causes rickets."
Yeah. We think we'll believe him.
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=275477?cid=OTC-RSS&attr=CVG-General-RSS