FOLLOW-UP: BULLSHIT HITS THE FAAN?

As WNYC promised, allergy specialist Dr. Hugh Sampson got a chance to talk on The Leonard Lopate Show on Thursday.

WNYC decided to give Sampson airtime following protests against the show for giving Meredith Broussard an uncritical platform for her weak allegations that food allergy support groups such as FAAN (where Sampson serves on the Medical Advisory Board) exaggerate the dangers of food allergies. (I've covered the background at great length here.)

Sampson came across as completely sober and sensible, which is consistent with FAAN's reputation as a responsible organization that helps families and communities cope with food allergy issues.

So I still see FAAN as a target of ungrounded criticism from Broussard that reached masses of people via Harper's as well as WNYC. There are indeed concerns about the general public's understanding of food allergies, but Broussard's type of coverage is part of the problem—because FAAN is actually part of the solution.

I remain curious as to whether Harper's and/or Broussard will offer any kind of retraction or correction.