Re. Nov. 18 editorial by Lee Giles, headlined Allergies are not myths:
Thank you so much for the thoughtful editorial in the Red Deer Advocate about the disservice Chatelaine magazine has done to kids with serious food allergies with its recent It’s Just Nuts article.
Giles nailed it when he wrote: “There is a genuine risk that readers will take the article to heart and figure there’s no need to keep peanuts away from children who have allergies.”
With Chatelaine’s massive reach, Allergic Living magazine is already hearing reports of peanut allergy backlash at the school level — because of this article.
Chatelaine’s editor now says she has written an editorial to try to make amends in the January issue. That’s good to hear, but I remain skeptical that this will correct all the statistical inaccuracies and misleading assumptions in the lengthy article that she published.
As someone who has been in both magazines and newspapers for years, I find it truly disturbing that a major publication would run an article that could undo years and years of debate and resolution to find reasonable measures to keep a vulnerable group of students safe in their schools.
It is no wonder people question the credibility of the media today.
Gwen Smith
Editor,
Allergic Living magazine
Toronto