Sharyl Attkisson

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53 injured or killed in Chicago mass shootings over the weekend

Amid the horror over mass shootings in Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas over the weekend, violence in another American city largely went unnoticed in the national news media.

At least seven people were killed and 46 wounded in mass shootings across Chicago over the weekend, according to authorities.

There were two mass shootings in one night in Chicago's Lawndale neighborhood on the West Side. The casualties overran a local hospital to such a degree that it reportedly stopped accepting new patients for a time.

Rampant violence in Chicago routine and often escapes mention on the national news.

According to CBS 2 in Chicago, a partial list of victims includes:

A 21-year-old man shot in the groin;

A 25-year-old woman shot in the arm and leg;

A 20-year-old man shot in the right side;

A 19-year-old woman shot in the right leg;

A 22-year-old woman;

A 21-year-old man shot in the left leg;

A 23-year-old man shot in the chest and hand;

A 35-year-old man shot in the forehead;

A 28-year-old man shot in the hip;

A 27-year-old man shot in the foot;

A 28-year-old man shot in the leg;

A 14-year-old boy shot in the thigh;

A 21-year-old woman who suffered a graze wound to the thumb;

A 19-year-old woman shot in the head.

Police Supt. Johnson: Overnight West Side Gun Violence Was ‘Unacceptable And Disheartening’

Read more by CBS2 Chicago by clicking the link below:

7 Killed, 46 Wounded In Weekend Shootings; ‘It’s Destroying The Fiber Of Our Communities’

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Another epidemic: political blame for mass shootings

The following is an excerpt of a news analysis by Sharyl Attkisson in The Hill.

When it comes to addressing mass killings, what approach do you favor? It could be the tightening of gun laws, removing existing “loopholes,” examining mental health issues, investigating prescription of psychiatric medications, all of the above, or something else entirely.

Whatever your chosen approach, it seems to me that the least productive of the strategies, in terms of possible solutions, is categorizing the tragedies and the shooters in purely political terms.

It seems as if each time there is a new tragedy, some in the media, some political figures and some in the public wait just long enough to find out a detail that supports their political agenda. Then, they let loose with political blame.

Most recently, mass shooters killed nine in Dayton, Ohio, killed 20 people and injured two dozen in El Paso, Texas, and murdered three at a Garlic Festival in California.

Yes, there are political issues, policies and laws to discuss. But the over-the-top vitriol tends to drown out rational, productive conversation.

The rush by some to politicize every mass killing also leads to such nonsense such as some blaming President Trump after an anti-Trump mass shooter — a Democrat who supported Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) — targeted Republican members of Congress in 2017. 

Politicization also tends to incite more expressions of hate on all sides — the exact opposite of what most say they want. (Continued...)

Read the entire article in The Hill by clicking the link below:

https://thehill.com/opinion/criminal-justice/456146-political-blame-for-mass-shootings-is-not-a-solution

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The Pill Pitch

Prescription drugs help many people and even save lives. But use of prescription drugs as prescribed is also a leading cause of death in the U.S.

Are some pharmaceutical companies skirting TV ad rules so that they don't have to disclose side effects of some vaccines and other prescription medicine?

Some critics say "yes." And when I asked the FDA about the allegations, the agency told me it's planning a new study into the issue.

Below are excerpts from my Full Measure investigation with a link to the full story at the bottom.

Full Measure has learned the FDA is planning a new study on TV advertising of prescription drugs. It’s a multi-billion dollar industry benefiting both pharmaceutical companies and the television networks paid to run the ads. Supporters say patients benefit too. But almost nowhere in the world is it allowed except here. And with prescription drugs a leading cause of death and injury, we investigate the Pill Pitch.

Dr. Michael Carome leads the Health Research Group at the watchdog Public Citizen.

He’s against prescription drug advertising on TV. It was forbidden until a fierce lobbying campaign by the pharmaceutical industry in the 1990s.

Dr. Michael Carome: In 1997, the FDA opened the floodgates to broadcast media: television, and radio ads, for prescription drugs, and we now have companies spending billions of dollars every year on this advertising.

Dr. Michael Carome: The average person in the US sees 9 drug ads a day, or 30 hours of drug ads per year. It’s just an extraordinary amount of exposure to prescription drug advertising.

The average person in the U.S. sees 9 drugs ads a day or 30 hours of drug ads per year.

Dr. Michael Carome, Public Citizen health group

The ads upset the longstanding rule that doctors alone should decide the best pills for patients.

To get an idea of how much the ads boost profits, you need only look at how much is spent on them. In 2018, the pharmaceutical industry shelled out $6.4 billion on so-called “direct-to-consumer ads.” No-one from the drug industry would agree to an interview. Representatives have said in the past that advertising saves lives and improves public health.

  • In 2018, the pharmaceutical industry funded $6.4 billion on "direct-to-consumer ads."

Dr. Carome say there are serious downsides.

Dr. Michael Carome: they’re newest drugs, so we often know the least about their safety because they haven't been on the market for a while. And often there are older alternatives that may be equally effective, and safer, and because those drugs aren't advertised, because the generic drug industry doesn't do this type of advertising, it can worsen the public health overall.

Experts say taking prescription drugs as prescribed is a leading cause of death in the US – a factor in as many as 200,000 deaths a year.

Safety is a big reason why the FDA requires the ads to clearly disclose risks.

Dr. Michael Carome: they're going to make sure that the viewers leave the commercial with an understanding of the benefits of perhaps some miracle cure, and not hopefully remember too much about the potential harms and risks.

Read more and watch our investigative report by clicking the link below:

http://fullmeasure.news/news/cover-story/the-pill-pitch

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How do you view social media? Unscientific poll

(Updated: the original post left off the response: B and C)

The vast majority of you describe social media as something less than positive and genuine.

That's according to the newest SharylAttkisson.com unscientific poll.

Eighty-one percent (81%) describe social media as "divisive," "propaganda," or both.

Nobody (0%) who answered our survey said they view social media as "realistic."

The full poll results are below. Meantime, vote now in our new poll on the home page at SharylAttkisson.com! Look for the black box on the right sidebar or scroll down on the mobile site.

"I view social media as..."

0%: A. Realistic

11%: B. Divisive

13%: C. Propaganda

6%: A and C

4%: A and B

58%: B and C

8%: I don't know

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5,500 illegal immigrants faked relations to children in 8 weeks, say U.S. officials

U.S. officials are finding an increasing number of fraudulent asylum claims in which foreigners are faking relationships with children to get admission to the U.S.

That's according to an article in the Daily Mail.

The article profiles the case of a 51-year old Honduran man who allegedly purchased a baby for $80 in Guatemala. He reportedly confessed to the scheme after entering the U.S. on May 7 when he learned U.S. immigration authorities would require him to undergo a DNA test to prove his relation to the six-month-old boy.

U.S. agents have flagged 5,500 fraudulent "families" in the past eight weeks, according to the Daily Mail.

Under current U.S. policy, illegal immigrants who enter with a child are typically not detained. As the word has gotten out, it has created a black market for children being stolen, purchased or rented for use to cross the border.

The typical going rate for foreign children used by illegal immigrants is said to be between $100 and $1000.

Read more in the Daily Mail by clicking the link below.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7311477/Honduran-migrant-51-bought-baby-80-Guatemala-seek-asylum-U-S-border.html

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Wild West oddity

This has to be one of the odder things I've run across.

I was with my Full Measure crew shooting new stories out west for our upcoming Season 5.

Smack dab in the middle of nowhere-- and I do mean nowhere-- we came across this roadside attraction:

Closer inspection revealed a fairly professional looking sign offering "pony rides" on a child's worn plastic pony. Twenty-five cents buys you a five minute ride.

Of course, nobody is there to hold you to the five minutes... or make sure you leave your coins. (We did.) Yes, there was money in the pot from others who stopped by.

A second sign at the site advertised "bull rides." The bull toy had apparently been removed, but there was money remaining in that bin, too!

You never know what you'll find.

Watch Full Measure every Sunday. Starting Sept. 8 we begin Season 5! Watch to see what we found in our reporting along the U.S. Mexico border.

How to watch Full Measure

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Live from The Border!

What's changing along our southern border?

We report from the field as we shoot new, upcoming stories for Full Measure Season 5 beginning Sept. 8.

Sharyl and cameraman Bryan Barr at the border with Jake and Mike of the Cochise County, Arizona Sheriff's Department

When polls are used to shape rather than measure public opinion

The following is an excerpt of my latest article in The Hill.

From what I can tell, pollsters are generally fairly stick-to-the-facts folks. They deal in facts and statistics. But there’s something important to remember. They have clients. Their clients are often news organizations. These news organizations, not polling experts, are the ones that come up with their own takeaways, headlines, analyses and context — or lack thereof — for the polls they commission. And, as we have seen, they may have their own idea of how they want things to come out.

That’s where I think polls have now become thought of as tools to shape opinion, rather than to measure it.

While looking into this phenomenon in 2016, I contacted a number of polling groups. I knew that they “weight” and adjust their samples to make them reflect certain demographics of the U.S. population. In simple terms, if their sample ends up with too many young people, they assign greater weight to responses from older people. The methods they use to do so vary and are arcane, to say the least. For example, ABC states that it “adopted iterative weighting, also known as raking or rim weighting, in which the sample is weighted sequentially to Census targets one variable at a time, continuing until the optimum distribution is achieved.”

But one of the most interesting things I learned had to do with one big factor for which they typically don’t “weight” or adjust. It’s one that I think is arguably among the most important when it comes to polls measuring political issues: political affiliation. In other words, the national pollsters I spoke with told me that if they end up interviewing significantly more Democrats than Republicans — which is often the case — they don’t necessarily adjust the results to try to make the sample reflective of the U.S. voting population.

When I dug into a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll,
I found some interesting nuggets that went unreported. 
As usual, the sample was Democrat-heavy: 29 percent of respondents who gave their affiliation were Democrat, compared to 23 percent Republican and 37 percent independent.

Sharyl Attkisson in The Hill

(Continued...)

Read the entire story at The Hill by clicking the link below.

https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/455133-when-polls-shape-opinion-rather-than-measure-it

Fight improper government surveillance. Support Attkisson v. DOJ and FBI over the government computer intrusions of Attkisson's work while she was a CBS News investigative correspondent. Visit the Attkisson Fourth Amendment Litigation Fund. Click here.