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You are here: Home / Politics / Media / Right At Home

Right At Home

by John Cole|  September 10, 20094:20 pm| 109 Comments

This post is in: Media

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A natural fit:

John Stossel, the longtime ABC News correspondent and co-anchor of “20/20,” is leaving ABC to join Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network. TVNewser has learned Stossel will host a weekly, one-hour program for the 2-year-old business channel. He’s expected to signed a multi-year deal with Fox which will include regular appearances on Fox News Channel during daytime and primetime. He’ll also host four, hour-long specials on Fox News, much like the business/consumer specials he’d hosted for years on ABC.

When does Lou Dobbs make the jump?

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Reader Interactions

109Comments

  1. 1.

    freelancer

    September 10, 2009 at 4:24 pm

    When does Lou Dobbs make the jump?

    When the FBC audience surpasses BJ’s # readers.

  2. 2.

    beltane

    September 10, 2009 at 4:24 pm

    Better that they all be quarantined in the Fox sanitarium. I’ll let you guys and Sadly, No fill me in on their antics. Otherwise it will be out of sight, out of mind.

  3. 3.

    Demo Woman

    September 10, 2009 at 4:25 pm

    Fox Business Channel hires Imus and now Stossel. Wow!
    Well that is an interesting business decision.

  4. 4.

    Midnight Marauder

    September 10, 2009 at 4:25 pm

    When does Lou Dobbs make the jump?

    As soon as Immigration Reform moves to the front-burner of Congress.

  5. 5.

    geg6

    September 10, 2009 at 4:26 pm

    Ha! I just posted this in the last thread.

    This is a relationship that should have happened looooooong ago. There is no bigger lying, stupid sack of glibertarian shit than John Stossel. Though this could be a problem for Beck. I think Stossel is waaaaaaaaaaaay tougher than him and will probably punch him the first time he’s on Glen’s show and Glen does one of his weeping routines. I just hear Stossel: “Man up, you big fat pussy! Hugh Downs never cried!”

  6. 6.

    Sue

    September 10, 2009 at 4:27 pm

    Will they be required to cry on-camera too?

  7. 7.

    cleek

    September 10, 2009 at 4:27 pm

    Fox has established a homeland and is now calling the whingenut diaspora from around the media world to return to the fold.

    and who the fuck watches John Stossel ? i find his “And this just grinds my gears!” schtick to be tiresome after just a couple of minutes.

  8. 8.

    Zifnab

    September 10, 2009 at 4:27 pm

    Can we get the YouTube of John Stossell getting punched by the wrestler, again? That never gets old.

  9. 9.

    geg6

    September 10, 2009 at 4:28 pm

    Okay, I’m in moderation. I’m guessing it’s because I mentioned naughty woman bits in reference to Glen Beck.

  10. 10.

    TheFountainHead

    September 10, 2009 at 4:30 pm

    THIS IS EXCELLENT NEWS!! FOR JOHN MCCAIN!!

  11. 11.

    Brian J

    September 10, 2009 at 4:30 pm

    I’ll just waiting for the inevitable response from the right about how this proves the media is so liberal. Wait, you say, he was at ABC for a few decades, while neither that network nor any other had any journalist/commentators had any equivalents from the left? That’s okay, you see, because the media is so liberal and has been for so long that it needed Stossel to retain even the image of objectivity.

    Up is down, black is white, day is night, and no matter what happens, the media is always liberal.

  12. 12.

    MikeJ

    September 10, 2009 at 4:31 pm

    Can we get the YouTube of John Stossell getting punched by the wrestler, again? That never gets old.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrX9Ca7LSyQ

  13. 13.

    jl

    September 10, 2009 at 4:32 pm

    Business news and stock tips from Imus and Stossel. I’m in. Or maybe I will wait for Dobbs to join, so I can get international financial analysis, hinging on Hispanic menace indicators.

    Is Stossel the guy who was caught badgering kids into giving false statements for some report?

    Was he the guy doing ‘investigative reporting’ on whether pro wrestling was real (why bother?) who got ear-boxed to the ground by some wrestler? I remember seeing some weasel reporter getting swatted to the ground with one swipe from some blond wrestler dude, and getting up and running away like a frightened medium size rodent. Was that Stossel?

    Inquiring minds want to know.

  14. 14.

    jl

    September 10, 2009 at 4:33 pm

    @MikeJ: thanks. you submitted that key historical Stossel video while I was typing my citizen journalist inquiry.

  15. 15.

    JK

    September 10, 2009 at 4:33 pm

    Great Roundup of John Stossel’s intellectually dishonest brand of journalism can be found at Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting

    http://www.fair.org

    just type “Stossel” in the search box at the top right side of the homepage.

    I’m surprised Stossel waited so long.

    Last week, it was announced that Fox Business Channel will begin simulcasting Don Imus’ radio show.

    By bringing Stossel and Imus on board, Fox is putting all the rotten eggs in 1 putrid, noxious basket

    Along with signing Lou Dobbs, the only thing left for Fox is to grab Pat Buchanan.

  16. 16.

    Davebo

    September 10, 2009 at 4:33 pm

    Will he sue ABC on his way out?

  17. 17.

    horatius

    September 10, 2009 at 4:33 pm

    Shit finally reaches the septic tank where it belongs.

  18. 18.

    General Winfield Stuck

    September 10, 2009 at 4:33 pm

    Like somebody somewhere might have said. It’s always best to have the roaches living at the roach motel.

  19. 19.

    horatius

    September 10, 2009 at 4:34 pm

    Somebody remind him to check what’s left of what he calls his brain on the way out. He won’t need it where he’s going anyway.

  20. 20.

    freelancer

    September 10, 2009 at 4:34 pm

    @Zifnab:

    You’re welcome.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrX9Ca7LSyQ

  21. 21.

    Brian J

    September 10, 2009 at 4:34 pm

    Fox Business Channel hires Imus and now Stossel. Wow!
    Well that is an interesting business decision.

    Murdoch has made it clear that he intends to subsidize the losses of FBC for quite some time. He never expected it to take off right away, but instead build up slowly, like the original Fox News Channel.

    If that’s the case, why didn’t he use his purchase of The Wall Street Journal to practice serious journalism? He made the staff of the foremost business publication in the world at his fingertips, and despite a lot of turnover, still has much of it. He could be doing something serious like what The New Yorker does, even if it had a conservative bent. Instead, he goes for shlock.

  22. 22.

    bk

    September 10, 2009 at 4:35 pm

    As I said in a comment on the ABC website (apparently deleted), this will raise the average IQ of the reporting staff for both networks.

  23. 23.

    Trinity

    September 10, 2009 at 4:35 pm

    Perfect post title JC.

  24. 24.

    Keith

    September 10, 2009 at 4:35 pm

    When does Lou Dobbs make the jump?

    Lou Dobbs is not physically capable of jumping.

  25. 25.

    Leelee for Obama

    September 10, 2009 at 4:36 pm

    I stopped watching ABC when that BS 9/11 mini-series was run. I watch Jeopardy and Wheel, and that’s it. Wish the syndicate was on another station, but those are perennial faves, so I’m stuck. There is nothing else they have on that I will break from my decision for. I don’t even look at what’s on ABC anymore.

    Stossel used to be a real person, like Brit Hume and Charlie Gibson, but they have rounded the bend more than once, so meh!

  26. 26.

    Polish the Guillotines

    September 10, 2009 at 4:38 pm

    Wow. Fox News is turning into the Alcatraz Island of networks: all the rotten eggs in one basket.

    Now if we can only erect a containment wall around them…

  27. 27.

    Persia

    September 10, 2009 at 4:38 pm

    @Zifnab: I’ve never seen it! I second this request.

  28. 28.

    TheFountainHead

    September 10, 2009 at 4:39 pm

    OT: I loathe the Colorado Rockies.

    I bet they’re all Republicans.

  29. 29.

    Legalize

    September 10, 2009 at 4:40 pm

    That’s an open-handed slap right there.

    Reminds me of:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGVoLsDS3t8

    “Nice to see everyone again.”

  30. 30.

    Comrade Jake

    September 10, 2009 at 4:40 pm

    Fox really should be named the Pompous Ass Network, their goal seemingly being to employ them all.

  31. 31.

    Zifnab

    September 10, 2009 at 4:41 pm

    @MikeJ: @freelancer: You guys are the best. Grazi.

  32. 32.

    Joshua Norton

    September 10, 2009 at 4:42 pm

    I guess Fox is becoming the La Brea Tarpits of righwing dinosaurs.

    It’s good to get them out of the general media population and pen them up someplace where they can only be a danger to themselves.

  33. 33.

    Drosophila Slayer

    September 10, 2009 at 4:42 pm

    “That’s an open handed slap.”

    To which I always wondered after seeing that clip: is there any other kind? If the hand is closed, isn’t it just a punch?

  34. 34.

    freelancer

    September 10, 2009 at 4:47 pm

    @Joshua Norton:

    Get Dobbs and Palin over there and the whole thing will go “Coast2Coast with Art Bell”.

  35. 35.

    Ed Drone

    September 10, 2009 at 4:48 pm

    When does Lou Dobbs make the jump?

    From network to network — 10/31/09*
    The shark — 5/5/95**

    Ed

    Explanations: * Halloween ** Cinco de Mayo

  36. 36.

    Persia

    September 10, 2009 at 4:48 pm

    @MikeJ: Yay!

  37. 37.

    jwb

    September 10, 2009 at 4:54 pm

    @Brian J: “Instead, he goes for shlock.”

    Of course, that’s what he does best: sell schlock.

  38. 38.

    georgia pig

    September 10, 2009 at 4:55 pm

    After seeing “The Wrestler”, you appreciate that even more. That chickenshit belongs with all the other chickenshits at Fox.

  39. 39.

    maya

    September 10, 2009 at 5:00 pm

    @Drosophila Slayer: There’s the back handed slap which doesn’t make as good a noise but gets more schmuckle per knuckle.

  40. 40.

    freelancer

    September 10, 2009 at 5:02 pm

    Cole,

    bless you for posting the vid.

  41. 41.

    Comrade Dread

    September 10, 2009 at 5:03 pm

    That makes me sad that he’s embracing the Republican party Kool Aid given that he used to be more of a independent.

  42. 42.

    Mona

    September 10, 2009 at 5:05 pm

    I am a Stossel fan, and am most unhappy about his move to Fox.

  43. 43.

    Punchy

    September 10, 2009 at 5:06 pm

    Can we get a happy hour-esque new NFL thread puleez?

    kaythinksguy

  44. 44.

    The Other Steve

    September 10, 2009 at 5:06 pm

    This is a good move by ABC.

  45. 45.

    freelancer

    September 10, 2009 at 5:07 pm

    @Mona:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVj7TRAu9iU

    “Give me a break!”

  46. 46.

    R-Jud

    September 10, 2009 at 5:07 pm

    @maya: “schmuckle”?

  47. 47.

    Face

    September 10, 2009 at 5:08 pm

    I simply cannot fathom the Mustache War that will break out between Stossel and Geraldo in the back cesspool of Fox studios.

  48. 48.

    neil

    September 10, 2009 at 5:10 pm

    All I wrote on the ABC site was “You’ll fit right in.”

    I neglected to inject: “Especially after that long night of passion with Greta.”

  49. 49.

    TheFountainHead

    September 10, 2009 at 5:10 pm

    If there is a Flying Spaghetti Monster, Michael Steele is his personal gift to me:

    http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/steele-bad-form-for-obama-to-invoke-kennedy-at-last-nights-speech.php?ref=fpa

    It’s not as though Ted Kennedy wrote a &*^$#@ letter stating that he’d like Health Care reform to be his legacy, or anything.

  50. 50.

    Drosophila Slayer

    September 10, 2009 at 5:14 pm

    @maya: True, but I would just call that a “backhand”.

    Either way, you don’t just go up to a ‘roided out wild man who is twice your size and tell him dismissively that his profession is fake.

    It’s REAL goddamit!

  51. 51.

    ironranger

    September 10, 2009 at 5:14 pm

    His rant against the DDT ban really ticked me off. Bald eagles were rarely seen in NE Minnesota for decades. When I was growing up I don’t recall ever seeing one until I was an adult with kids. I remember how excited people got when they actually saw one with a nest. DDT was banned in 1972 but it took years, about a dozen, before they made a comeback here. Now they are commonly seen in large numbers.
    Stossel is an ignorant jackass.

  52. 52.

    Midnight Marauder

    September 10, 2009 at 5:15 pm

    @Mona:

    I am a Stossel fan, and am most unhappy about his move to Fox.

    I would have thought Stossel fans would be most exuberant about his return to the homeland.

    The guy is a clown and a joke. Always has, always will.

  53. 53.

    malraux

    September 10, 2009 at 5:15 pm

    given that he used to be more of a independent.
    If you frequent fark, you’ll recognize this as being a fark independent, that is, someone who is really a republican but wants to maintain enough credibility to concern troll the liberals.

  54. 54.

    Brian J

    September 10, 2009 at 5:16 pm

    @TheFountainHead:

    I’m really reluctant to call someone stupid. I may use that word, but in an offhand, quick-to-speak way. I’m willing to chalk up various actions to a lot of motivations and failings, like anger or immaturity.

    Michael Steele and Sarah Palin are really starting to test my limits.

  55. 55.

    freelancer

    September 10, 2009 at 5:16 pm

    @TheFountainHead:

    There is, I swam in the beer volcano in a dream last night, and next saturday is International Talk like a Pirate Day.

    http://www.talklikeapirate.com/

  56. 56.

    TheFountainHead

    September 10, 2009 at 5:21 pm

    @freelancer: Yarr, give thanks to the Sauce’d One!

  57. 57.

    Maude

    September 10, 2009 at 5:29 pm

    @ironranger: That surely simplifies the loss of bald eagles. Of course, it would take work to find out all of the reasons.
    Back when, some people believed that the big birds of prey would swoop down out of the sky, pick up a human baby and carry it off.

  58. 58.

    MMM

    September 10, 2009 at 5:32 pm

    GO STEELERS

  59. 59.

    Calouste

    September 10, 2009 at 5:33 pm

    Smart man that Stossel: you stand opposite a man who makes his living out of having a lot of muscle, quick reactions and fighting skills (fake or not doesn’t matter, fake fighting might even be harder technically than real fighting) and you call him a fake…

  60. 60.

    DonkeyKong

    September 10, 2009 at 5:34 pm

    Fox is now the grease trap for the modern american media.

  61. 61.

    Mojotron

    September 10, 2009 at 5:36 pm

    ironranger: His rant against the DDT ban really ticked me off.

    especially since it caused suplex injuries to skyrocket.

  62. 62.

    Mona

    September 10, 2009 at 5:41 pm

    Yup, I like John Stossel. Over ten years ago he did one of ABC specials on gender wars in hiring. One of his foci was the job of fireman [sic] . NOW and others lobbied ABC to prevent the broadcast, but the network did not cave.

    Stossel pointed out that men who pass the usual physicals for the job of firefighter have the upper-body strength to carry– me! — out of a burning building. Gloria Steinem was interviewed, and said something to the effect that women could just as easily “drag” bodies (bumpety-bump-bump) out of the inferno.

    As for DDT. How many people in other parts of the world have died from malaria due to the mosquitoes that carry it, all because of terror over DDT?

  63. 63.

    ironranger

    September 10, 2009 at 5:44 pm

    @Maude:
    Cute.

  64. 64.

    freelancer

    September 10, 2009 at 5:45 pm

    @Mona:

    Shorter Mona: Fuck Eagles! The moustache saved lives!

    Also, “Wrestling? Real? Give me a break! OW!”

  65. 65.

    The Moar You Know

    September 10, 2009 at 5:48 pm

    Yup, I like John Stossel.

    @Mona: The two of you are a perfect fit. Willful ignorance mated with abject stupidity.

    I’m glad he’s finally going home, to where he’s always belonged.

  66. 66.

    maya

    September 10, 2009 at 5:48 pm

    @Drosophila Slayer: How true. Now if only Stossel had taken on this sport ……….

  67. 67.

    Brachiator

    September 10, 2009 at 5:49 pm

    @Mona:

    Yup, I like John Stossel. Over ten years ago he did one of ABC specials on gender wars in hiring. One of his foci was the job of fireman [sic] . NOW and others lobbied ABC to prevent the broadcast, but the network did not cave.

    I remember this story as well, back when Stossel was a good, inconoclastic reporter. Unfortunately, over time he has become stuck in an increasingly rigid vision of libertarianism.

    Worse, since Fox doesn’t even pretend to objectivity in the news anymore, one really has to wonder about anyone who would go to work there and still pretend to be a credible journalist.

  68. 68.

    malraux

    September 10, 2009 at 5:55 pm

    As for DDT. How many people in other parts of the world have died from malaria due to the mosquitoes that carry it, all because of terror over DDT?
    So what you are saying is that you are either ignorant or an idiot?

  69. 69.

    Drosophila Slayer

    September 10, 2009 at 5:59 pm

    @freelancer: Plus, if the eagles are decimated by DDT,

  70. 70.

    Drosophila Slayer

    September 10, 2009 at 6:00 pm

    @Drosophila Slayer:

    That should have read:

    But if the eagles are decimated by DDT,

  71. 71.

    jl

    September 10, 2009 at 6:01 pm

    @Mona: Probably nobody has died from the worldwide ban on DDT to prevent malaria

    because…

    there is no worldwide ban on DDT for malaria control. It is still part of World Health Organization approved malaria control measures, and in use by over a dozen countries.

    There is an approved protocol for rotating anti-mosquito agents to prevent the development of intractable resistance problems, and this probably accounts for the ups and down in DDT usage, along with the ups and downs in usage of malathion, pyrethrum and other agents.

    The ban on its agricultural use has probably saved lives because that was a source of resistance.

    And of course, countries are free to ignore the WHO guidelines if they wish, and DDT it up all the time everywhere in their mosquito control efforts. India has done so, and now has problems using DDT to control mosquitos becuase of resistance problems.

  72. 72.

    Drosophila Slayer

    September 10, 2009 at 6:02 pm

    I give up. DDT, is bad for eagles, causing them to lose their ability to soar.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFmMGYv3mag

  73. 73.

    freelancer

    September 10, 2009 at 6:05 pm

    @Drosophila Slayer:

    Was wondering where you were going with that.

  74. 74.

    pseudonymous in nc

    September 10, 2009 at 6:07 pm

    Dobbs stays put because, as part of his contract, he has Jonathan Klein’s nuts in a vice. He gets to use his own reporters, producers, has no editorial oversight — and I doubt he’d get that, even at Faux News.

  75. 75.

    August J. Pollak

    September 10, 2009 at 6:10 pm

    a weekly, one-hour program for the 2-year-old business channel.

    “The 2-year-old Business Channel” sounds about right.

  76. 76.

    Davis X. Machina

    September 10, 2009 at 6:22 pm

    @cleek.: and who the fuck watches John Stossel ?

    Just about every high school social studies student in America if my kids, and the kids where I work (different districts) are any gauge.

  77. 77.

    WoW

    September 10, 2009 at 6:32 pm

    I, for one, would like to see a John Stossel-Michael Medved-Token Fox Liberal, two-on-one type show myself, the ratings, I’m sure, would be fabulous

  78. 78.

    MikeJ

    September 10, 2009 at 6:45 pm

    As for DDT. How many people in other parts of the world have died from malaria due to the mosquitoes that carry it, all because of terror over DDT?

    Not one. You’d have to be fucked in the head to think differently.

    DDT has never been banned for malaria control. Anywhere in the world. Ever.

    There exists no body in the world that can ban any use of any substance worldwide.

    In countries where chemicals other than DDT have been used for mosquito control, mosquitos will still die when sprayed with DDT. In places that didn’t switch, mosquitos evolved (yes, evolved) immunity.

    GFY.

  79. 79.

    Deschanel

    September 10, 2009 at 6:55 pm

    The return of falcons and other birds of prey to NYC and the Hudson Valley after decades of their eggs being destroyed by DDT and other contaminants is a marvel and a joy to behold, nature healing itself.

    That Stossel was utterly in favor of this pestilence, pollution, and destruction of nature and species does not surprise me at all. Fuck him and his moustache. A smug, rotten, priggish guy with a very tired schtick.

  80. 80.

    Joey Giraud

    September 10, 2009 at 6:56 pm

    Nothing fake about it. Professional Wrestling is performance art of the highest calibre.

    I mean, really… 2 huge, muscular men in a real angry fight, it would last 10-15 seconds and one would be dead or crippled.

    What a stupid question.

  81. 81.

    Mona

    September 10, 2009 at 7:00 pm

    There exists no body in the world that can ban any use of any substance worldwide.

    No kidding!? And I never claimed otherwise. Nevertheless, the U.S. freak-out over DDT did lead to its being much less used in other parts of the world with heavy malaria infestations. I’ve not checked to see whether this continues to be the case, but it was for a time.

    In any event, Stossel did good work when I watched him on ABC, altho granted it has been a decade or so since I’ve done that.

  82. 82.

    John Cole

    September 10, 2009 at 7:06 pm

    Hey. Be nice to Mona.

    Jerks.

  83. 83.

    Allan

    September 10, 2009 at 7:17 pm

    But Daaaad!

    She started it!

  84. 84.

    jl

    September 10, 2009 at 7:28 pm

    @Mona: India has used DDT extensively for a long time in spite of recommendations for rotating anti-mosquito agents. Now it looks like it will lose DDT from its arsenal of effective anti-mosquito agents for a prolonged period in areas where it was used most heavily.

    It would be interesting to look up the history of DDT use for mosquito control to see if the environmentalists reduced its use below a reasonable level. I have never read anything that suggests that. I will try to find something and if I do I will post here later.

    But to my knowledge, the big push to ban DDT was in agriculture (which has been a good thing for long term malaria control), not in its use to control mosquitos.

    To repeat, DDT is, and always has been, part of the World Health Organizations approved list of mosquito control agents. The guidelines for its use reflect concerns about the development of resistance in mosquito populations when they are exposed to one agent for a prolonged period of time.

  85. 85.

    El Tiburon

    September 10, 2009 at 7:35 pm

    I remember watching that when it originally aired. Back then, when I was a kid and a dumbass, I liked Stossel. But I also liked Gerry Rivera.

    Someone should dig up where Sirota calls him ‘smarmy’ on some interview show.

  86. 86.

    malraux

    September 10, 2009 at 7:51 pm

    Nevertheless, the U.S. freak-out over DDT did lead to its being much less used in other parts of the world with heavy malaria infestations.
    Well, no. It lead to a reduction in agricultural use, but the reason why DDT was dropped from malaria control was the evolution of resistance. There is no evidence that the US based environmental concerns had any effect on DDT use for malarial control.

  87. 87.

    EthylEster

    September 10, 2009 at 8:14 pm

    @John Cole: Hey. Be nice to Mona. Jerks.

    I say YOU have jumped the shark.
    There used to be hardcore debate here.
    There used to be much feces flung here.

    Now it’s a big echo chamber with numerous posts on how stupid the wingers are. And many lefty commenters whose great contribution is to say in yet another way “Yeah, those wingers really are stupid”. Plus a few as-ever clueless righty commenters.

    And now you’re telling commenters to be nice to other commenters? When an actual debate (with facts!) breaks out.

    Sheesh.

  88. 88.

    Nancy Irving

    September 10, 2009 at 9:23 pm

    A one-hour program for two-year-olds, you say?

    Sounds like Stossel has reached his natural level.

  89. 89.

    Randy Paul

    September 10, 2009 at 9:37 pm

    Stossel and I used to work out at the same gym here in New York about twenty years ago and I even played squash with him a time or two.

    In a word, he’s an insuffrably arrogant little shit. He’ll fit right in at Faux News.

  90. 90.

    Mona

    September 10, 2009 at 9:42 pm

    About bans or objections to DDT and malaria deaths.

  91. 91.

    Mona

    September 10, 2009 at 9:46 pm

    John Cole and I are cyber-buds who began leaving the GOP plantation at virtually the same time and for much the same reasons. He does not have to defend me, but I do appreciate the gesture — John is a cool guy.

  92. 92.

    jl

    September 10, 2009 at 9:59 pm

    Maybe a generous one quarter of a point for Stossel on DDT, in my opinion.

    Stossel accused USAID of phasing out DDT for ‘politically correct’ environmental reasons. The big controversy is over DDTs use in indoor spraying programs, where the idea is to use DDT on interior walls to make mosquitos avoid indoor areas rather than kill them. USAID denies this and, and never made funding decisions for malaria control based on using DDT in indoor spraying programs. WHO did recommend against using DDT for indoor spraying for mosquito control where there was year round endemic malaria, as opposed to seasonal epidemics, but reversed its decision in 2006.

    Several countries did curtail the use of DDT in indoor spraying campaigns and saw an increase in malaria and reversed their decision. I have not been able to find out whether ‘PC’ environmental considerations drove these decisions, or worries about the development of resistance. Apparently there is a scientific debate about whether, or how long, DDT can be used in indoor spraying programs without developing resistance.

    Looks like there is an argument about whether the smaller amount of exposure needed to make the mosquitos fly away (as opposed to killing them) will produce resistance.

    I thought that it was settled that such a use did produce resistance, but I was wrong. I thought this controversy was the reason that WHO did not recommend use for year-round endemic use, since that would require long term exposure.

    DDT for indoor spaying has also been controversial because unless a large majority of houses accept it, it can increase transmission of malaria.

    People can decide for themselves whether Stossel’s charges give an accurate picture.

    Wikipedia has a well documented article about it Some links below, without the standard www stuff omitted to keep out of moderation.

    who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2006/pr50/en/

    apps.who.int/malaria/docs/FAQonDDT.pdf

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DDT#cite_note-USAID-109

  93. 93.

    jl

    September 10, 2009 at 10:05 pm

    @Mona:

    thanks for the links, but I think mine are better, so please check them out.

    What is the source for this charge in your first link?
    “Rich countries that used DDT themselves threaten reprisals against poor countries if they use DDT.”

    I think Stossel’s charges were simplistic and misrepresented the situation.

  94. 94.

    malraux

    September 10, 2009 at 10:09 pm

    In Sri Lanka, in 1948, there were 2.8 million malaria cases and 7,300 malaria deaths. With widespread DDT use, malaria cases fell to 17 and no deaths in 1963. After DDT use was discontinued, Sri Lankan malaria cases rose to 2.5 million in the years 1968 and 1969, and the disease remains a killer in Sri Lanka today.

    Your source is retarded or lying. First, that bit about DDT being banned doesn’t mention that it was only in the US and only for agricultural spraying, but the article is clearly trying to make it seem like its the whole world. Second,
    The high-water mark of the campaign came in 1964. Sri Lanka had reduced its number of malaria cases from millions after the end of the war to just 29. The country declared victory over malaria and suspended spraying. WHO called the eradication programme “an international achievement without parallel in the provision of public health service.”

    But then malaria returned to Sri Lanka. In 1968-69, there were half a million cases. The country went back to spraying DDT, but because it had been extensively used in agriculture, mosquitoes had evolved resistance. http://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/2008/05/rehabilitatingcarson/

    The fact that the article doesn’t mention that DDT was ineffective in mosquito control means that they are either lying or ignorant. Either way, there’s no reason to take the source seriously when such deceptions are clear.

    The second article doesn’t seem to have much of a point other than that malaria is a large problem in Uganda; but no one is disputing that. Regardless, there is no one stopping them from spraying. That said, WHO has determined that nets imbedded with DDT are better than the sprayings. And that doesn’t seem to come anywhere close to your claim that DDT isn’t used because of the environmental scare.

  95. 95.

    Xanthippas

    September 10, 2009 at 10:12 pm

    OMG…I’ve never seen that before. I hate Stossel so much I nearly had an orgasm watching that.

  96. 96.

    malraux

    September 10, 2009 at 10:13 pm

    Stossel accused USAID of phasing out DDT for ‘politically correct’ environmental reasons. The big controversy is over DDTs use in indoor spraying programs, where the idea is to use DDT on interior walls to make mosquitos avoid indoor areas rather than kill them.
    The big issue I have with this strange linkage is that the uproar against DDT was in the 60’s, yet the main evidence for its effects are relatively small decisions in the early 2000’s.

    but reversed its decision in 2006.

    I did not know that.

  97. 97.

    Mona

    September 10, 2009 at 10:15 pm

    jl: I read the wiki article actually when looking for my own sources; but I tend to shy away from wiki entries unless I independently know that what any one in particular contains is accurate. (Not being either a scientist or DDT expert, I was not willing to use wiki in this case — but you seem to know a bit more about the subject.)

    In any event, thanks for the comments. Stossel was not being a sheer moron or a shill when addressing the world-wide use (or its lack) of DDT. It is a controverted issue with no obviously “right” answer.

  98. 98.

    jl

    September 10, 2009 at 10:27 pm

    @Mona: Your point is well taken about Wikipedia. I checked the critical references. to make sure they were not bogus.

    I have done research on the economics of antibiotics for disease control when the microbugs can develop resistance. I admit I am rusty on the the economics of resistance for macrobugs outside of people.

    I actually used to like Stossel, but I think he long ago fell into a biased frame of mind that has messed up his reporting.

    Maybe there was some rush to judgment on use of DDT for indoor spraying programs that was motivated by PC nonsense. But I know there has also been a general scientific freakout over development of resistance of bugs (big and small) to poisons of various kinds (used inside and outside people), and that was involved too.

    Commenter Malraux links to an article that says that recent move towards more DDT use is part of disinformation campaign. I do not know if that is true or not. After reading some of the sources for WHO and Wikipedia articles, seems as if there is still a real scientific controversy.

  99. 99.

    Frank

    September 10, 2009 at 11:29 pm

    I had a trainee in class once whose brother was a pro wrestler. That was back when “The Barber” was one of the bad guys.

    He told me that, during the clinches, the wrestlers were whispering to each other about the next move and that his brother got an extra $500.00 for letting the barber cut his hair.

    The outcomes of the matches are rigged. The dramas are faked.

    The athleticism is real.

  100. 100.

    Ked

    September 10, 2009 at 11:33 pm

    I don’t watch much network TV (sports, 24 in good years, and… uh… that’s about it) these days, though I remember seeing ads for a few of his “specials” which looked a bit off the deep end. I’m sure he’ll be happy at FUX News, and I’ll be happy that I never have to see him again.

    Still, Stossel has a special place in my heart for the hour he did on the idea of drug legalization back in the early 90’s. I’m… actually kind of against legalization, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world and I can see where it could fix a lot of problems, and it’s something that ought to be legitimately debated. And it can’t be, because so much of the Village lives with the moral system of a five-year-old.

    Stossel got an interview with the current drug czar (remember, this was early Clinton Admin), and tried to work through the idea of legalization with him. And the guy basically stonewalled, working out of the principle that it would promote immorality. Stossel looks puzzled, and asks him *why* drug use is immoral, and his Czarness argues with a straight face that putting oneself in a chemically altered state of mind is immoral.

    Stossel points out that sometimes he goes home and mixes up a martini [or whatever] or five, and that’s not illegal. And Mr. Czar says basically something like “well, you’re drinking it for the taste.” Stossel looks at him really funny, and says something about enjoying the inebriating effects. And the guy says straight out, “that’s immoral.”

    There wasn’t much more to say after that, so they cut to commercial. But it was as good of a semi-hostile interview as I’ve seen done, and it taught me not to expect law to make any ethical sense. Ever.

    I deliberately made sure to watch the next few Stossel specials after that, and remember being mostly disappointed. But that one moment of television interview zen was more than many reporters ever achieve, and even fifteen years later I have warm fuzzies over it.

  101. 101.

    Mona

    September 10, 2009 at 11:37 pm

    jl: I checked the critical references [at wiki]. to make sure they were not bogus.

    I do that as well, when it is an issue in which I hold professional or avocational competency. This just is not one of them.

    That said, when I was watching Stossel on ABC, on those subjects in which I do enjoy some competency, he was largely correct. So, it didn’t seem unreasonable to give him the benefit of the doubt when he addressed issues where I am not that knowledgeable.

    I do not know how anyone can better evaluate a source?

  102. 102.

    Bony Baloney

    September 11, 2009 at 2:38 am

    Mona has a point. EthylEster also has a point.

    Remember “agonist.org” before the name was hijacked by some Trustafarian who turned it into a MySpace group diary, dominated by his totally wow amazing new insights photos of Angkor Wat &c.? It was, like, the anti-Drudge. Pretty rockin’ news aggregator they used to have.

    Personally I think pterodactyls are really cool. I’m not so crazy about sharks or cockroaches. Time goes by, and guess which two out of three are still eye-live and kicking in the wild, and which one is only seen in artists’ recreations in museums. Personally, I blame Independent voters.

  103. 103.

    bob h

    September 11, 2009 at 7:25 am

    One of the things I find dismaying about these people is that so many of them are graduates of elite universities- Harvard in Dobbs’ case and Princeton in Stoessel’s. Both places put a lot of emphasis on service to the nation. Our establishment universities are breeding the new radicals.

  104. 104.

    Ted M

    September 11, 2009 at 10:31 am

    Thank you so much for posting this. The first slap was nice but when he hit him twice… nirvana!

  105. 105.

    Brendan

    September 11, 2009 at 1:41 pm

    @Face:

    Duelling Porn staches in a primetime special

  106. 106.

    Surly Duff

    September 11, 2009 at 4:43 pm

    How the hell am I supposed to differentiate between him and Geraldo now?

    Fox News – where honesty is hidden behind furry moustaches

  107. 107.

    josephdietrich

    September 11, 2009 at 5:11 pm

    The worst part about that video is the knowledge that Stossel won $425k in a lawsuit over two slaps.

Comments are closed.

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  2. Mario Piperni dot Com » Blog Archive » More “Fair and Balanced” says:
    September 11, 2009 at 10:45 am

    […] tip: Balloon Juice […]

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