Evaluation of News Magazine Stories

The Atlantic and Forbes

I chose these magazines for a specific reason. As a Physiology major, I am really still exploring all the possibilities the field could potentially have for me. I chose The Atlantic magazine because of the description being a 'moderate' magazine. Ideally, I would have liked to venture to explore conservative and liberal magazines, as well; I would love to be able to compare and contrast and explore the different approaches that are taken towards my intended field. But I digress and that will have to wait for another time. For now, I wanted to take on my field of study from a moderate political perspective.

Besides the different personal point of view I chose to observe the stories from, I also wanted to explore the different sides of the major itself. Forbes magazine is most highly regarded as a business magazine, which can speak a lot about the stories that are surfacing. I thought it would be interesting to also observe current news of the medical field from the position that focuses more on the company that made the discovery.

The Atlantic - The Cold Medicine Racket

Buissine, Steven. 10/2015. https://pixabay.com/en/flu-influenza-cold-virus-sick-1006045/

1. What is being debated in the story?

The debate in this article is predominantly between the credibility of brand-name drugs (Tylenol, Bayer, NyQuil/DayQuil, etc.) and the efficiency of their generic counterparts. The discussion takes a turn when it introduces a key player, the FDA, who has both accused the generic brands of not being produced in up-to-date facilities but has also separately assured that it does not allow for drugs to be produced in substandard facilities.

2. What/Who is the most sympathetic character in the story?

The most sympathetic character in this story is definitely the generic brands of medications. The story makes the audience feel like the generic brands are not rightfully represented because of the  vast amounts of negative myths that exist about them. In fact, they are required by law to be bioequivalent.

3. What/Who is the least sympathetic character in the story?

 Conversely, the least sympathetic character is the FDA. Yes, the FDA, and not the name-brand drugs. The author's tone is very much coordinated against the FDA. The author recognizes that the name-brand medications are certainly not a helping factor (especially considering how overpriced they are). But it is the FDA who lacks current material (their myth page is 12 years old) and even contradicting material (explained in question 1).

Forbes - Regenerative Medicine: Could This be Healthcare's Saving Grace?

Public Domain Pictures. 7/2013. https://pixabay.com/en/dna-biology-medicine-gene-163466/

1. What is being debated in the story?

This article follows the rapid expansion of regenerative medicine and its current progress and questions about its ethics. There are currently over 700 companies that practice various regenerative medicine techniques, and that receive a lot of support from many doctors and biomedical engineers. However, the FDA has not spoken out about its support for the stem cell techniques yet. But don't worry, the FDA isn't the bad guy in this story, too.

2. What/Who is the most sympathetic character in the story?

The article consistently uses quotes from the supporters of regenerative medicine, whether that be researchers, patients, or the doctors themselves. The use of personal stories makes the reader feel much more connected to the practice because of the availability to see how regenerative medicine has already affected people's lives so positively.

3. What/Who is the least sympathetic character in the story?

It is consistent, however, with the saying that when someone's life gets better, another's gets worse. Regenerative medicine is already facing a lot of pressure from critics about whether it is ethical or not, from an implant basis. These critics believe the practice is too intrusive. Prothetists are also in opposition of the regenerative medicine because it is a threat to their jobs (the article is optimistic about knee replacements becoming unnecessary in he near future). The critics and prosthetists are portrayed in the article to be too traditionalistic and opposing progression.