BBC: I made a film from my bed to prove my illness is real - Jen brea

Cheshire

Cheshire

Senior Member (Voting Rights)
BBC's (long) review of Unrest:

Five years ago, Jennifer Brea was struck down by ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis), and found herself bed-bound, a prisoner in her own body. Now, she has invited the world on an intimate journey into a condition that some deny even exists, interviewing fellow patients from all over the world - from her sickbed. She spoke to the BBC's Natasha Lipman.
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http://www.bbc.com/news/stories-41888146
 
Zippeeee!

Hey, any awesome S4ME members want to write a review for us here?

Or perhaps we could start a thread and everybody who's seen it can post their own review, long or short?

In fact:

Request, if anybody here has seen the film Unrest, would you be so kind as to start a review thread (in a public area) and string together one or two sentences (or more) review, and invite others to post their reviews?

Heh, is that an abuse of mod orange writing powers?
 
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One of the great things about all this good coverage is that I can use it as ammo to put into emails to friends; links they can look up. I want them to be interested in the film, know it's worth watching and watch it. I just sent my first email to a friend who though in remission has children with ME too. She's not really into advocacy, but I'm hopng this might galvanise her. She's out and about and has friends who are health professionals and/or are married to health professionals. I'm also working on one of my sisters to put time and effort into fundraising for ME - as soon as the DVD is out I want to send it to her.
 
This is fairly amazing because the BBC news website has completely ignored ME for years. If you put ME or CFS into their search box on their news page, hardly anything comes up. Often when something hits the UK newspapers I've searched at the BBC news site and it's like ME doesn't exist. The occasional reference to radio shows that have featured ME, but absolutely nothing most of the time when an ME story hits the rest of the UK press.
 
TiredSam said:
This is fairly amazing because the BBC news website has completely ignored ME for years. If you put ME or CFS into their search box on their news page, hardly anything comes up. Often when something hits the UK newspapers I've searched at the BBC news site and it's like ME doesn't exist. The occasional reference to radio shows that have featured ME, but absolutely nothing most of the time when an ME story hits the rest of the UK press.
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I think it might be very telling. The BBC may be starting to realise the game could soon be up. They perhaps don't relish the idea that the BBC could find itself front page news, of how incredibly biased, unethical and unprofessional their lacklustre reporting (not!) has been on ME. Being shown up to be everything they claim to not be, just might be starting to dawn on them. Probably a good few sphincter-twitching discussion going about how to extricate themselves from a trap of their own making.
 
I doubt it, they were advocating that depressed people should do rock climbing without any safety equipment the other night - coz not having any may focus the mind more and not allow any capacity for thinking depressive thoughts. Another solution they were advocating was, after training in a group, depressed people should spend time giggling in a room on their own as therapy.

So...do I think the BBC is getting more sensible or responsible...no.

edit - on "Trust me - I'm a Doctor - Mental health Special"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09dcvl0
 
The BBC is such a huge organisation, I have no idea whether those who, for example, gave air time to Crawley to publicise her FITNET and SMILE trials without critique, would even be aware that other parts of the organisation are giving Jen Brea or Charles Shepherd a hearing.

I guess the real turning point would be if the science or health editors choose to produce a program that damns PACE, Wessely, Crawley and the whole BPS psychosomatic model of ME and promotes the biomedical evidence. I think we are still a long way from that, but there are some hopeful signs.
 
TiredSam said:
This is fairly amazing because the BBC news website has completely ignored ME for years. If you put ME or CFS into their search box on their news page, hardly anything comes up. Often when something hits the UK newspapers I've searched at the BBC news site and it's like ME doesn't exist. The occasional reference to radio shows that have featured ME, but absolutely nothing most of the time when an ME story hits the rest of the UK press.
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Barry said:
I think it might be very telling. The BBC may be starting to realise the game could soon be up. They perhaps don't relish the idea that the BBC could find itself front page news, of how incredibly biased, unethical and unprofessional their lacklustre reporting (not!) has been on ME. Being shown up to be everything they claim to not be, just might be starting to dawn on them.
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In my humble opinion, the BBC is so vast that occasionally things slip through the control of those at the top. That is why more controversial regional radio shows and TV programs get a first airing.

The telling point is how many things are repeated or appear on the national platforms. Ever seen the Documentary about Operation Gladio? One of the most important ones they ever made, yet never repeated to my knowledge.

People who occasionally make a program that upsets the powers that be are then nudged in the desired direction.

People don't know that MI5 used to have an office in the BBC building to 'vet' the workers for their views.

(Hollingsworth, Mark; Norton-Taylor, Richard (1988). Blacklist: The Inside Story of Political Vetting. London: Hogarth Press. p. 104. ISBN 978-0-70120-811-0.)

What is done now I don't know, but I'm sure there's plenty of chats over lunch, at the lodge, and the golf course.

I think by the time they update their views, it will already be 'mainstream' consensus.

Of course, this is just my personal opinion, and I'm a well noted loon and idiot. ;)
 
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