The Media on Professor Wessely
On 6th August 2011, Stephanie Marsh wrote in the Times:
"Such was the vitriol and the constant ratcheting up of the threats =
emanating from the fringes that, ten years ago, Professor Wessely chose =
to give up his research."
This will come as news to those who follow CFS research. A quick search =
of PubMed returns 10 journal articles including research and systematic =
reviews bearing Wessely's name from May 2008 to March 2011. Had Marsh =
written 'his own research' her statement might not create the misleading =
impression that Wessely was running scared of having anything to do with =
CFS. Indeed, Marsh's own article and other recent media features =
demonstrate that Wessely is perfectly prepared to have his name attached =
to just about anything to do with CFS.
Wessely's willingness to be associated with CFS in the media, does not =
correlate well with his remark; "I've had people ringing up and say, =
"We're gonna get you." I've had death threats. Not many but, you know, =
you don't need very many to find them a little bit disturbing."=20
Although 'we're gonna get you', is undoubtedly a nasty thing to say to =
anyone, I'm not sure that most people would consider the example that =
Wessely chose to give, constitutes a death threat. In view of the =
sensational tone of the article, some might wonder why a more explicit =
example was not provided.
Articles in the Times and other publications seen in recent weeks create =
an impression of Professor Wessely as someone besieged by threatening =
behaviour, driven out of his research speciality and glad to seek the =
relative safety of Iraq and Afganistan. If this is so, and if Professor =
Wessely is indeed in fear of his life, then why has he been willing to =
be quoted in several newspaper and journal articles written in a way =
that could be judged provocative to those disturbed people who have =
allegedly threatened his life?
Peter Kemp
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