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Also from the morning anchor desk, Robin Roberts (subscription required), of ABC's Good Morning America, filed a rare report for World News. A breast cancer patient herself, Roberts accompanied First Lady Laura Bush to the Gulf States as she campaigned to raise awareness of the disease among Arab women. Roberts presented scary statistics: the average Arab breast cancer diagnosis occurs in women ten years younger than the average in western societies--yet those tumors tend to be more advanced, 70% of patients in the lethal late stage. Talking about breasts is considered taboo, she added, showing how, to avoid giving offense, "Breast Cancer" is rendered "Beat Cancer" in English-language publicity materials. Roberts introduced us to women running an awareness campaign in Abu Dhabi: "This disease is so personal for so many where just talking about it can be the right medicine."
Clearly this morning personality is inexperienced at meeting the higher journalistic standards of an evening newscast. Why do Arab women get the cancer younger? Roberts did not even offer a hypothesis. Why are Arab publicity materials printed in English? No explanation. What can she possibly mean by suggesting that "just talking" can be the "right medicine"--as someone who had just undergone surgery herself how could she suggest less for her Arab sisters?
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