CHANNEL 7 NEWS SENDING MIXED MESSAGES ON TYPE 1 DIABETES!!!

[jellybean]

I'm so annoyed. I can't begin to express how annoyed I am. Bad enough I'm having D Burnout right now but this has sent me over the edge!

Did anyone see the report on Ch 7 News tonight about Gen Y will come to be known as Gen "D" for Diabetes?

Well it starts off the way most Type 2 Diabetes focussed stories do, though no mention of "Type 2" just Diabetes. Obese kids, junk food, talk of poor lifestyle and lack of exercise leading the next Generation to poor health, yada yada yada...then, out of nowhere they flick to a kid who was diagnosed with Type 1 (and yes they remembered to mention the "Type" for this part) on how she was diagnosed when she was 6mths old and on MDI...then back to how millions will be suffering Diabetes in X amount of years whilst again showing obese kids with their hot chips!

Are you serious? Bad enough Type 1 Diabetes gets very little press. Bad enough those of us with Type 1 Diabetes are constantly having to inform those around of the differences between the two. But now a report "suggesting" Type 1 in the same topic as obesity and poor lifestyle without any tiny little bit of clarification between the two types!? Give Me a Break!!!

So I have sent an email to Sunrise requesting they do a segment on the differences. I have sent an email to CH 7 News demanding a clarification in tomorrow night's news. They got me on the wrong day. The entire audience of that news segment have got a confused perspective on Diabetes - AGAIN!

This is what I sent in, if you are in a bad mood like me, feel free to send one in to.

ONCE AGAIN the media gets it WRONG! Ch 7 News did a report on Gen Y becoming a Generation of Diabetics from poor lifestyle (ie Type 2 Diabetes) cue the standard "fat belly" pics, showing obese children eating chips and the like, that are usually shown in these stories, and then for some stupid reason they go to a young girl with TYPE 1 DIABETES who has had to have injections since she was 6mths old! The report didn't even differentiate between the two types of Diabetes they were reporting on! The story is essentially about the poor lifestyle of the new generation, but then they switch to a child with Type 1 Diabetes in that same subject matter when the two couldn't be more different subjects! Yes they did say the child had Type 1, but in the first part of the story they spoke of Diabetes in a generic, didn't even mention Type 2 but they were talking about the obesity which cause "Diabetes" therefore Type 2, but then went into mention type 1 diabetes after they showed these obese kids with junk food! Let's be clear : TYPE 2 = poor lifestyle leading to Diabetes but it is preventable AND reversible by improved diet and exercise. TYPE 1 = INCURABLE, NOT PREVENTABLE, AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE, INSULIN INJECTIONS OR INSULIN PUMP FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!!!! Basically our immune system is so SCREWED UP it attacks our own body. No wonder Type 1 Diabetes gets little funding or attention when the media make such a mess of it. Channel 7 News need to put a clarification into tomorrow night's News Broadcast (being Thursday 15th March) to undo the further confusion they have added to the general populations miseducation on Type 1 Diabetes. After nearly 20 years of living with this frustrating, potentially life threatening, disease since I was a child, I have had it with people's misconceptions on how it is I have Type 1 Diabetes, always having to justify the difference between Type 1 Diabetes which and Type 2 Diabetes which the media always focusses on with their obese pictures they love to show. I'm sick of people thinking that I have done this to myself, and the media is not helping! Reporters should make sure they have the FACTS on a story before putting it to air, some information is far too important to leave out!

It would be good to see some air time, for a change, given to the tireless organisations they actually try to help those of us with Type 1 Diabetes such as JDRF. Why don't you do a story on that? Channel 7 News you need to clarify your story, it affects far too many Type 1 Diabetics not to.

[Daniel leone]

well done yes like you i get p........off when people dont know the difference between the two and yes its a big difference,yes i saw it its stupid unreaserched news about somthing so serious as Diabetes we a few of us should get together and go on the news and explain the real differences,
just today i had a debate with a friend who heard of a doctor in the uk who claims he can reverse Diabetes type 1 and 2 with healthy eating blah blah blah.

[summerdays]

I saw the Ch 10 version that discussed Type 2 only but still annoyed
Id like Diabetes Australia to take some responsibility for education, they are very good at promoting Type 2 but when was the last time they had a Tyoe 1 campaign?

[Elizabean]

Yes, I saw this too, and I feel the same white hot burning rage!

I have no idea why those two type 1 kids were in the "story", it was absolutely disgraceful "reporting".

The story ended and my husband and I just sat there with our jaws on the floor. The sheer lack of facts was astounding.

I hope that you get somewhere with channel 7, but I wont hold my breath! I certainly wont be heading back to channel 7 to see what happens... Once I have blacklisted something, I never relent!

[jellybean]

Didn't see Tens report but I can imagine. Their facebook page "Seven News" has the story on their wall so I've added a lengthy comment :)

[Kezza]

The original media release by Diabetes Australia is here:

http://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/Doc ... _FINAL.pdf

[Mike13]

Um did I watch a different report? They did actually explain that the children had been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes which was beyond their, or their parents, control and that Type 2 diabetes was generally a lifestyle disease. I thought they made it very clear. In fact I was waiting for the screw up but was surprised by the distinction.

[jellybean]

Mike, I'm sorry but you may have seen a different report. This was 6pm news (Sydney) last night with Chris Bath. There is now a video link on Seven News fb which is completely different to what aired last night. Funny how it wasn't the video link before I started facebooking them and email complaints to them. I even rewound the news last night (thank you Foxtel IQ) to double check I didn't miss something. And I didn't.

I'd encourage everyone to complain on their fb page under the story link because right now they are listening and reading the comments and we just might get a clarification in tonight's 6pm news in Sydney with Chris Bath (not sure if that's a national broadcast or not).

http://www.facebook.com/SevenNews

here's the link to the page.

[Coll]

I saw the report on Channel 7 and while it did distinguish between the two types I thought the way they did it was confusing for those who don't really know much about the difference between the two types of diabetes. To my way of thinking that would be much of the general population!!! So in a way, if you REALLY paid attention, you would get the message about the difference between the two types, but as to the message they were trying to get across which I think was about how one in 3 gen y's will get type 2 and how much its on the increase, well at the end of the report I felt like they put in type 1 as a token gesture, I'm not sure why they put it in, the report was a bit all over the place.

[Torie]

I saw the one Mike13 saw and was ok with how they presented it in the short timeslot. I know this is a tricky issue, but it's actually thanks to Sunrise 5.5 years ago that I was diagnosed in the first place. I'm sure it was a T2 segment, but they put up the symptoms a person with diabetes typically experiences and I could tick all the boxes...without the stereotypical "overweight, unfit" side...so I went and got tested. Whammo, life changed. They may not always be perfect, but the message still gets out there.

[kaito]

Amazing, I saw a similar example on the late edition of my local Win News just then... talked about the rise in type 1 and had a kid who was recently diagnosed with T1 in Ballarat and the fact B'rat's had 3 diagnoses this week, then talked about the lifestyle factors contributing to the sudden rise of T2... they didn't just say "diabetes", they did say type 1 or type 2 as appropriate... but I think a little more distinction between the two types would have been better.

[mish_au]

This also makes my blood boil... however not quite to the extent that my mother does. I think she now has a pro-forma letter ready to send every time!!

One of my all time favourite articles that was published in Sydney Morning Herald... Thankfully I found an online version!!

http://www.smh.com.au/news/heckler/get- ... 05594.html

[Jen (nli)]

Yes I've read that article Mish. I just think diabetes - what ever type - doesn't matter - its bloody difficult. We've all been diagnosed with a crappy condition. Diabetes is crap. Full stop. Type 2 is crap. Type 1 is crap. Gestational diabetes is crap. Every diagnosis is hard regardless of type. We're no better than any other 'type' and really, we're probably no 'worse' either. (I'm sure that's debatable but my view is they are all crappola and therefore - all hard in their own way). My view is anyone who is diagnosed with diabetes deserves compassion - we know its not an easy road. I just feel that article is a bit full on. I know its meant to be that way... I just think its unnecessarily inflammatory and blames the wrong person. None of us want to have diabetes. None of us are more 'worthy' of the title 'diabetic'. Its just unfortunate the same name is given to two different conditions!! And to my mind its always ironic when we get upset that someone has confused the two conditions and laments about how much confusion this will cause, and then articles like the above get printed that do exactly the same thing - propagate myths by generalising and exaggerating the characteristic of those with Type 2. Its just not accurate. Maybe accuracy is not funny... maybe I'm being too politically correct.... but isn't this discussion about being correct and getting the facts right?

I didn't see the Channel 7 news because I stopped watching Channel 7 a while ago - they annoyed me in some other way... I too get irritated when the blanket term 'diabetes' is put out there. I wish they were more specific about things - giving real facts and making those facts meaningful. The reality is we have at least two conditions that have similar symptoms, but different etiologies and unfortunately I think the media - and people in general - struggle with that. Its a problem to do with names - and I also think humans like to simplify things... this is a classic way of simplifying everything - its a marketing pitch ("diabetes is caused by lifestyle factors" is an easier, eye catching slogan than weighing the tag line down with a whole lot of jargon, qualifications, clarifications and scientific explanations!). I guess I'm falling into the 'we need a name change' camp...

[jellybean]

Found this video of an SBS report on this topic.

Way to go SBS. Clear, concise and non-accusatory to those suffering or to-be sufferers of Type 2. It's just well researched, informed and responsible reporting. Maybe some of the reporters on higher-paid networks could learn a thing or too about actually doing some proper research!

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1634243/latest-from-wire/

[Magenta76]

Maybe the Type 1 Network can make a media release of their own?
I am like everyone else when I see a report of diabetes in the news. Not that I watch much television, but I do agree with the comment that Diabetes Australia, tend to lean more towards Type 2.
JDRF is better but they need to involve more adults. Although I do understand that using children helps with raising money for research, but I am adverse to the whole "juvenile" tag. I was diagnosed as an adult as I'm sure many of us have been. Type 1 should be called type 1, or insulin dependent, or how about we just come up with some cool slang name that we can spread around and make it well known?

[cheeky.7]

I totally agree that we should have a different name for type 1 diabetes. I am sick of telling people I have type 1 diabetes and getting the reply of 'really? You aren't overweight at all. Did you eat a lot of sugar as a kid'. Arrrgh!! I hope someone, anyone, comes up with another name for type one. I have had this disease for over 17 years and I have had so many people talk to me as though diabetes is my fault from eating too much sugar as a kid, when really I ate very healthy as a kid and was very active. Besides, type 1 is still unknown as to a certain cause. The ignorance of people is not their fault as they may not have had exposure or education about type 1 and I understand that however it's still very frustrating. A different name would give the general public a clearer understanding of our disease and distance their thoughts of type 1 and 2 being the same.