scam

The NYT Today ran an article on the various Resveratrol scams and warned people to avoid the bogus resveratrol products. Nice of the New York Times to finally join us in the warnings we have been issuing for months (here is our Resveratrol scam article from 6/10/09 and here is our Resveratrol scam article 8/6/09) - maybe the writers at the New York Times are reading our blog!

No, our problem is not that the New York Times was a little late to the party - our problem is with the ad next to their article on avoiding Resveratrol scams -

Click to See The Full Size Screenshot of the NYT Article

What the #@)##? is Going On at the New York Times?

You really need to click the image to see it full size. The New York Times writes a full article on avoiding Resveratrol products claiming to be endorsed by Barbara Walters and making claims that you can live to be 150 - then they have an ad for a Resveratrol product that claims you can live to be 150 and as seen on Barbara Walters!

But Wait, it Gets Even Worse…

Here is a quote from the New York Times Article -

This uncertainty is not apparent on Web sites selling resveratrol products, which promote its anti-aging and weight-loss powers often with a blogger’s personal testimony. These sites eventually lead readers to sites like www.resveratrolstudies.net, which displays the logos of CBS, ABC, Oprah and a photo of Dr. Oz across the top banner.

That ResveratrolStudies site they warn you about - guess what product it sells? That’s right - the Resveratrol Ultra!

So, let’s get this straight - the New York Times writes an article telling us not to buy products like Resveratrol Ultra and right next to that article has a paid ad for Resveratrol Ultra.

Is It Just Us or Are Things Getting Crazy Here?

I know the newspaper industry is in financial trouble and they need all the ad revenue they can get… but this is going a little too far. The headline of the article is “With Resveratrol, Buyer Beware” and the New York Times is making money when someone buys exactly what they are telling us to beware of! Yes, every time you click on that Resveratrol ad, the New York Times gets paid.

I am sure the New York Times would point out they don’t control the ads and the ads are served by Google and rotate from time to time (if you view the article now - you may well see a different ad) - but come on, at some point doesn’t someone have to take responsibility. Isn’t this like writing an article on the dangers of lead paint covered toys and then profiting by selling lead paint covered toys (via your ads)?

Leave a comment and let us know what you think.

Resources:

New York Times Article - 08/17/09 - With Resveratrol, Buyer Beware

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