Virginia Heffernan’s article (Prescription for Fear www.nytimes.com/2011/02/06/magazine/06FOB-Medium-t.html) claims WebMD is a less trustworthy health info than Mayo because it (in her words) shills for drug companies.
She should be less concerned about drug advertising and more about how online health sites are used to shape public perception. If she did, she would have focused on all the sites that spread anti-vaccine fear. Most of them are not in it for the money. Those that are hawking their own products.
Moreover, she ignored how mainstream coverage, relying on such sources, spread panic and misinformation. The media perpetuated the anti-vaccine ideology, overstated the risks of anti-depressants and recently called a 1 in 3 million occurrence of a rare lymphoma in women with breast implants a “link.”
Ms. Heffernan is right to be wary about many online health sites. But her concern with WebMD is misplaced. WebMD’s medical reporting copies other news outlets. She should have focused on her own industry’s mangling of medical information.