A Health Message Goes Up in Smoke
December 17, 1998 | Read Time: 1 minute
To the Editor:
In response to your article “Sex, Truth, and Video” (October 8), which tells of the Kaiser Foundation’s efforts to have health issues portrayed accurately on television programs such as ER, I can only say that when Anthony Edwards’s character in that TV series lit up a cigarette after a tough day of trauma, I think Big Tobacco scored one of their most titanic victories ever.
Just because it’s hard to prove how such scenes influence movie and TV audiences doesn’t mean that they don’t wreak havoc on “impressionable America’s” future health.
Incidentally, if you know of any organization that is trying to educate Hollywood decision makers about the grisly consequences of tobacco-product placement and glorification, please let me know.
Michael Foulks
San Diego Wheelchair Tennis
La Jolla, Cal.
