For some reason a lot of the UK media have gone above and beyond their usual anti-vaping stance. I smell a bit of a rat?
What the bloody hell is going on? I am used to seeing perhaps 1 or two negative articles a week, but this past week it has gone crazy?
Is there somebody panicking about the UK Government being “Pro-Vaping” and wanting to change the narrative? We know this happens in the USA with “Bloomberg” influences.
In Scotland, the poo is hitting the fan about Disposable vapes and it is looking like they may get banned. Is this influencing the press – to try and win Scottish readers?
Some stories might be true, but I sense things being blown out of proportion and big style scare-mongering?
I only looked on “free to read” websites for the past week (22nd to 29th June 2023) hence why the Telegraph, Metro and Independent are missing.
The Sun Newspaper / Website
For instance on 29th June 2023 I found three negative vaping articles on The Sun website.
“Vape Fears: Eight children from a single school are hospitalised after using e-cigarettes, MP says”.
“Risky Habit: I started vaping to help me quit smoking – one month later my lung collapsed and needed glueing back inside my body”.
“Deadly Risk: Urgent warning as vapes contaminated with flesh-eating drug found in Britain”.
Also in the past week they have furnished us with these beauties…
“Stark Warning: I took up vaping instead of cigarettes aged 16 but ended up on life support with organ failure – don’t make my mistake”.
“Costly Habit: Urgent warning as vapes linked to 5 deaths in Britain – and it’s just ‘the tip of the iceberg’, experts say”.
“Bad Habit: Urgent vape warning as e-cigarettes leave children suffering with collapsed lungs”.
“Poison Arrest: Man arrested for ‘poisoning’ woman, 26, who ‘fell unconscious after being forced to use vape’ at Isle of Wight Festival”.
Daily Mail Newspaper / Website
You can usually rely on the Daily Mail for a few scare stories and they didn’t disappoint!
“Schools are having to swap out smoke detectors for heat sensors to stop vaping kids setting off alarms during lessons, headteachers say”
“E-cigs linked to FIVE deaths in Britain: Experts warn shock figures prove that vaping is ‘not safe’ and say toll is ‘only tip of the iceberg'”.
“Vape warning as primary school kids are being rushed to hospital with collapsed and bleeding lungs due to excessive use of illegal e-cigs”.
“Father-to-be, 31, claims vaping for only one month caused his lung to collapse and it had to be ‘glued’ back inside his body”.
“FDA tells 180 stores to stop selling Elf Bar vapes after report showed illegal e-cig device is a best-seller and is poisoning children”.
“Invasion of the Chinese vapes: Number of electronic cigarette devices sold in America has nearly tripled since 2020 to over 9,000 – fuelled exclusively by rise in illegal and fruity flavored disposables from China”.
Daily Mirror Newspaper / Website
When I was studying the UK media for my Vape Sentiment tracker, I found the Daily Mirror to be one of the worst culprits for being anti-vaping. So yes – this is not that surprising…
“EXCLUSIVE: Builder nearly dies after ‘chemical tasting’ vape from corner shop burns hole on his lung”.
“Urgent vape warning as deadly ‘flesh-rotting’ drug discovered in e-cigarettes in UK”.
“School exams chaos as vape-hooked pupils set off fire alarms triggering evacuations”.
“Vapes ‘more harmful’ than smoking for children – as cases of collapsed lung rocket”.
“Holly Willoughby concerned as This Morning co-star says she was rushed to hospital”.
The Guardian Newspaper / Website
The Guardian are usually pretty well balanced about vaping, but it is going in the “anti” direction at the moment.
“Millions of illegal vapes seized in UK in three years, data shows”.
“It took years to learn the deadly lessons of cigarettes. We can’t wait so long for vaping”.
“‘No need to rush’: How to give up vaping”.
“How much nicotine is in a cigarette compared to a vape?”.
“Quitting vaping by going cold turkey can work”.
Have Your Say!
The Guardian have published a survey asking for people’s opinions on vaping – so please join in and let them know how much it has helped you and that you are scared that this important tool to keep you off tobacco is at risk. I have filled it in!
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/jun/22/tell-us-your-experiences-of-vaping.
Daily Express Newspaper / Website
Not one of the more mainstream newspapers but still has readers…
“Horror vaping warning as eight pupils from same school landed in hospital”
“‘I vaped for only a month and I was rushed to hospital with a collapsed lung'”.
“‘Only a matter of time’ before vaping in cars is banned with ‘urgent changes’ likely”.
“The alarming rise of primary school children hospitalised due to vaping”.
Scary
Remember all of the above stories were collected for just one week 22nd to 29th June 2023! Plus there were many other newspapers / websites that I didn’t cover!
I find this pretty scary, in addition to this week’s shocking Select Committee hearing on Youth Vaping – where there was that much Bull-crap floating about it must have smelt like a farmyard. I will be covering the Select Committee in another article.
It seems like for some reason the media are trying to present an agenda to turn people against vaping. If I thought too much about it I could start going down the path of it possibly being companies or organisations who would suffer if the smoking rates were reduced?
Imagine if you know nothing about vaping, reading this could make you scared to try them, worry you to death if your child was vaping and also possibly get you that angry you start to join in the “vapes are dangerous” chorus?
In a way I could understand why – seeing all these horror stories.
I just don’t know what to think, it seems sudden and a total overreaction.