public health risk communication Archives

The 1959 Cranberry Scare: When America Nearly Canceled Thanksgiving Cranberry Sauce

June 24, 2026 by Dr. Eeks

Imagine it’s a few weeks before Thanksgiving. The turkey is thawing. The relatives are coming. The cranberry sauce is ready. Then the federal government announces that some cranberries may contain a chemical linked to cancer in laboratory animals. Welcome to the Great Cranberry Scare of 1959. It’s one of the strangest food safety stories in …

“Et tu, NYT & WaPo?” Time to Blame the Messenger

August 7, 2021 by Dr. Eeks

By: Dr. Eeks The White House’s war on COVID-19 “misinformation” took a major hit in the last week when Ben Wakana, Deputy Director of Strategic Communications & Engagement of the White House COVID-19 Response Team, lambasted the liberal-friendly New York Times and Washington Post for their tweets about COVID-19 transmission for the vaccinated versus the …