The BFM Wednesday Wire with Paul Deady

The bFM WIRE Today: 12 - 2pm weekdays

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This morning papers released under the Official Information Act to Radio NZ showed our government had declined to fund Gardasil – a vaccine proven to be effective against the virus which causes cervical cancer in women – despite being advised to do so by the Health Ministry and other advisers. Health Minister Pete Hodgson's office told me this morning there's really no story here as they'll be looking to fund it next year. So what's the fuss then? I'll be looking at the issue from a couple of angles today.

*1215 – Nikki Turner, Immunisation Advisory Centre*

First, at quarter past 12, I'll be speaking with Nikki Turner from the Immunisation Advisory Centre, about the government's decision not to fund gardasil, what this means for young women in New Zealand, and whether a government backed immunisation scheme is really the right way to go.

*1230 – Judith Siers-Poisson, Centre for Media and Democracy in the USA*

Then at half past 12, I'll be speaking with Judith Siers-Poisson from the Centre for Media and Democracy in the USA. She's really concerned with the way drug company Merck – who manufactures Gardasil in the states – has marketed the drug. They instigated their biggest ever PR campaign, raising awareness, and creating a favourable market for the drug before it had even been approved by their Food and Drug Administration.

*1320 – Counterclockwise with Alastair Thompson*

At twenty past 1 we'll have our regular counterclockwise segment. Today, Alastair Thompson from scoop will be on the line to talk about President Bush handing Lewis Scooter Libby a get out of jail free card. Barack Obama reckons this "*cements the legacy of an Administration characterized by a politics of cynicism and division, one that has consistently placed itself and its ideology above the law". *Indeed. How ridiculous is the decision? Alisatair will tell all.

*1340 – Plantu, French Cartoonist*

And to finish the show at twenty to 2, I'll play an interview I did this morning with legendary French cartoonist Plantu. The man is an institution in France – his work regularly features on the front page of *Le Monde* – who's been doing this since the late 70s. He's in NZ with the Alliance de Francaise, speaking up and down the country – mainly down. He was really cool to talk to, very astute for a man speaking in his second language.

ENDS

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