BBCDiary of a CEO host Steven Bartlett is amplifying dangerous well being misinformation on his number-one ranked podcast, a BBC investigation has discovered.
Latest claims from visitors – together with that most cancers could be handled by following a keto food plan, fairly than confirmed therapies – had been allowed by the Dragons’ Den star with little or no problem. Specialists have advised us failing to query these disproven claims is harmful as a result of it creates a mistrust of standard drugs.
In an evaluation of 15 health-related podcast episodes, BBC World Service discovered every contained a mean of 14 dangerous well being claims that went towards intensive scientific proof.
Flight Studio – the podcast manufacturing firm owned by Mr Bartlett – stated visitors had been supplied “freedom of expression” and had been “completely researched”.
The podcast launched in 2017 specializing in entrepreneurship and enterprise. It soared in recognition as figures similar to influencer Molly Mae and Airbnb founder Brian Chesky shared their suggestions for achievement.
However up to now 18 months, Mr Bartlett has concentrated extra on well being, with visitors offered as main consultants of their fields. Their views obtain little problem.
The interviews are additionally posted to Mr Bartlett’s YouTube channel, which has seven million subscribers. Since this content material shift final 12 months, its month-to-month views have elevated from 9 million to fifteen million.
Mr Bartlett advised The Instances in April he anticipated his podcast to make £20m this 12 months, primarily from promoting.
YouTubeWe seemed on the 23 health-related episodes launched between April and November this 12 months, truth checking – with 4 medical consultants – 15 which contained probably dangerous claims.
The consultants we spoke to had been most cancers analysis professor David Grimes, public confidence in healthcare professor Heidi Larson, NHS diabetes adviser Dr Partha Kar and surgeon Dr Liz O’Riordan.
We recorded dangerous claims as recommendation that, if adopted, might result in detrimental well being outcomes.
In that eight-month window, some visitors billed as well being consultants shared correct info, however most had been spreading deceptive claims. These included:
- Anti-vaccine conspiracies, stating that Covid was an engineered weapon
- Poly-cystic ovarian syndrome, autism and different problems could be “reversed” with food plan
- Proof-based treatment is “poisonous” for sufferers, downplaying the success of confirmed therapies
Podcasters might declare they’re sharing info, however they’re really sharing dangerous misinformation, says Dr David Grimes from Trinity Faculty Dublin.
“That is a really completely different and never empowering factor. It really imperils all our well being,” he says.
Podcasts within the UK are usually not regulated by the media regulator Ofcom – which units guidelines on accuracy and impartiality. So Mr Bartlett is just not breaking any broadcasting guidelines.
In a July episode, Mr Bartlett spoke to Aseem Malhotra, a physician who turned identified in the course of the pandemic for spreading misinformation about Covid vaccines.
Within the episode, Dr Malhotra says the “Covid vaccine was a internet detrimental for society”. Evaluation by the World Well being Group reveals that it saved many lives in the course of the pandemic.
On the finish of the episode, Mr Bartlett, who doesn’t have a well being background, justified the airing of the discredited views, saying he aimed to “current among the different facet” as “the reality is often someplace within the center”.
He added that: “Concepts from the suffragettes, Gandhi and Martin Luther King had been additionally obtained equally horrifically… so we now have to be humble that an concept which may be essential might set off us, however it will probably’t be censored.”
In response to our investigation, Dr Malhotra advised the BBC he “utterly settle for[s] that there are nonetheless some individuals who disagree with [his views]” and stated that “doesn’t imply that they’ve been debunked”.
In most of the podcast episodes, the visitors claimed to know a easy resolution to well being points which they believed mainstream establishments had been hiding from the general public. They typically additionally marketed their merchandise on the podcast.
Most cancers researcher Dr Thomas Seyfried appeared on the podcast in October. He’s a proponent of utilizing the ketogenic food plan, a food plan low in carbohydrates and excessive in fats, to deal with most cancers.
However Dr Grimes advised us medical doctors warned sufferers towards limiting their food plan whereas present process most cancers remedy.
“You can probably and really realistically get very, very, sick and have a a lot worse well being consequence than in case you adopted advisable recommendation out of your oncologists,” he stated.
Within the podcast, Dr Seyfried additionally recommended radiotherapy and chemotherapy solely improved sufferers’ lifespan by one-to-two months, evaluating fashionable most cancers therapies to “medieval cures”.
Mr Bartlett didn’t react to this declare.
Most cancers Analysis UK statistics present that UK most cancers survival has doubled up to now 50 years. Within the US, the most cancers loss of life charge has declined 33% since 1990, because of fashionable therapies.
Dr Thomas Seyfried advised us he “stands by the statements that he made within the interview”.
The options these visitors are providing are interesting to listeners as they really feel tangible and are available with out the uncomfortable side effects of pharmaceutical medication, says Prof Heidi Larson, an professional in public confidence in healthcare.
“However they [the guests] are method overstretching. It sends individuals away from evidence-based drugs. They cease doing issues that may have some uncomfortable side effects, regardless that it might save their life.”
Cécile Simmons, from the Institute of Strategic Dialogue, a suppose tank specialising in disinformation analysis, believes this kind of content material will help to develop audiences.
“Well being-related clickbait content material with scary titles does rather well on-line with the algorithm amplifying that,” she stated.
Mr Bartlett has dabbled in doubtful well being claims earlier than.
In January, on BBC Two’s Dragons’ Den – the place aspiring entrepreneurs pitch enterprise concepts to 5 multimillionaire buyers, together with Mr Bartlett – he invested in “Ear Seeds”, acupuncture beads positioned within the ear which falsely declare to treatment power fatigue situation myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME).
After complaints, the BBC has since added a disclaimer within the episode and on iPlayer, stating the “Ear Seeds” are usually not meant as a treatment, and medical steering ought to be adopted for ME.
A spokesperson for the BBC declined to remark.
He’s additionally an investor in Huel, a meal substitute firm – and Zoe, which sells a personalised vitamin programme involving the usage of blood sugar screens.
“He has monetary stakes in well being and wellness corporations. And upon getting monetary pursuits, you have got then the additional curiosity in specializing in well being and vitamin,” says Ms Simmons.
Two Fb adverts that includes Mr Bartlett were recently banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for selling two Huel and Zoe merchandise with out disclosing he was an investor.
Founders of each corporations have beforehand been invited as visitors on The Diary of a CEO podcast.
A spokesperson for Flight Studio, Mr Bartlett’s manufacturing firm stated: “The Diary of a CEO [DOAC] is an open-minded, long-form dialog… with people recognized for his or her distinguished and eminent profession and/or consequential life expertise.”
They heard a variety of voices, they stated, “not simply these Steven and the DOAC crew essentially agree with”.
The BBC investigation had reviewed a “restricted proportion of visitors” out of the practically 400 broadcast thus far, they added.
