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Article: CBS' "48 Hours" fails acid test. (sensationalistic reporting of non-existent resurgence of LSD use)
- Article from:
- American Journalism Review
- Article date:
- March 1, 1993
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1993 University of Maryland. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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CBS kicked off the new year with big news: Lysergic acid diethylamide, or LSD, has recently made a "return trip."
"The drug of the psychedelic '60s is back, and there's a good chance your children know all about it," warned a grim Dan Rather in his intro to the January 6 edition of the newsmagazine "48 Hours." "Experts say that teenagers are using more LSD and other illegal hallucinogens than cocaine, the scourge of the '80s."
Pretty compelling stuff. But the show's premise is wrong: There's little evidence of a "resurgence of LSD." In fact, the number of young Americans tripping on acid, according to the government's National Institute on Drug Abuse ...