If politics isn’t your thing, the UK news bulletins would have been a rather dull read for you over the last few weeks. Personally, I am very interested in politics and greatly enjoy ruminating on the potential political landscapes that could emerge from our forthcoming General Election – although by the time you read this, the result will, of course, be old news!
Politics aside, search a little further beyond the ubiquitous reports on what Messrs Cameron and Miliband promise if you would only vote for them, and a sense of normality prevails in our media. Depending upon your vehicle of choice for delivering your daily intake of news, this will determine whether you expose yourself to a diet of junk or haute-cuisine style journalism.
Regardless of your choice of media menu, the perennial problem is always the quality of ingredients that make up the “dish” we feast upon as readers, viewers and listeners. Knowing, as we do, how the media simply accept unsubstantiated facts presented to them from established, ergo “reputable” charities, organisations and companies, it is an increasingly difficult task for “Joe Public” to pick out the house speciality or what is simply the menu of the day.
And therein lies the problem. Identifying fact from fiction makes it difficult to determine sense and sensibility, regardless of political persuasion or your choice of news menu. To bring this dilemma around to a familiar context, there is no question, given scenarios as to how the consumer media covers our industry, that UV exposure is increasingly presented as a questionable activity at best and a desirable activity at worse! Now acknowledging the premise that without the sun we would not exist – a fact that is globally recognised and understood but, in the context of indoor tanning, ignored – the consumer media has somehow, along the path of the anti-tanning lobbying efforts, either made a decision to ignore, has been advised to ignore, or worst case scenario, been put in a position where advertising dollars take precedent over editorial credibility so has to ignore – or at the very least, question the facts.
In the context of this article, I am “preaching to the converted.” But for an industry that appears to be enduring increased scrutiny by the law-makers in Europe, the time is surely now to say “We’re not gonna take this anymore!” Within most countries in Europe, laws covering indoor tanning businesses are on the table or in place. In the States, there appears to be a mixed voice regarding banning indoor tanning for under-18s. This is the norm in Europe and statistics show it doesn’t have an impact on business – offer a sunless alternative and offer a service for all skin types and ages – happy days!
It’s the bigger picture we need to focus and act upon. What we find completely unpalatable in the UK and justifiably so, is the section of the media that is delivered clearly dubious ingredients, used without question to serve up stories that categorically state – not imply or suggest – a causal relationship between indoor tanning and malignant melanoma. A recent example being a guy who had a total of four indoor tanning sessions and then, the article stated, developed and died from malignant melanoma as a direct consequence.
This is, of course, a claim that could never be categorically substantiated, neither does it have a credible medical nor scientific foundation, yet for a section of our media – with a global online reach of multi-millions – it ticks the well-funded and successfully lobbied for anti-uv tanning box, delivering an appetising menu message for a certain segment of society.
Certainly, this isn’t a Europe-compared- to-USA situation. We collectively need to focus on the bigger agenda in play which is an anti-UV tanning message – globally. There is a well-funded global agenda to scare people out of the sun – healthy people don’t get ill and need to be prescribed drugs or receive expensive medical procedures. The fact is that people who get regular UV exposure are people who lead a healthy lifestyle, care about how they look and feel and, as a result, are less likely, statistically, to be ill.
We need to collectively shout loud and proud about responsible indoor tanning. What message would get your vote?
