Financial Times Prefers Propaganda To Truth

Vernon Coleman





I sent the following letter to the Letters Page of the Financial Times on 17.9.07

Dear Sir

For Publication

In today's FT your editorial `Confront animal rights fanatics' contains an egregious inaccuracy.

Your statement that `animal testing is an essential part of drug development, which benefits not only pharmaceutical companies but human health and economic growth' is, quite simply, provably untrue. Animal testing is irrelevant and misleading. It is of no value whatsoever to patients. In evidence to a House of Lords committee studying animal experimentation I proved this point beyond dispute. (The evidence is freely available on the Internet.)

Unfortunately, the truth isn't welcomed by the media. Your suggestion that `democratic debate and protest around the testing of medicines is to be welcomed' is, I'm afraid, laughable.

Those of us who oppose animal experiments on scientific grounds are more frustrated by the actions of extremists than anyone. Extremists distract attention away from scientific discussion.

If the media would allow open and honest discussion of the issue problems surrounding animal experimentation would cease very quickly because no one would do any more animal experiments.

Yours sincerely


Dr Vernon Coleman


You will probably not be surprised to hear that the Financial Times, apparently preferring commercial propaganda to scientific truth, did not publish this letter or make any reference to it.


Copyright Vernon Coleman September 2007 Home