An October 13, 2006 article by Ken Shepherd criticizes ABC News's David Muir for respectfully citing an anti-corporate activist (Barbara Brenner) who not only opposes corporate breast cancer fundraising efforts but claims routine mammograms are not useful:
Dr. Elizabeth Whelan, an epidemiologist and Business & Media Institute (BMI) adviser, told BMI that such a claim was "wholly irresponsible."
"I'm really shocked that they would say that. The benefits of early screening are overwhelmingly important," Whelan countered, adding that "none of this recognizes what's happened in the last eight years. It's become largely a curable disease" when the cancer is caught early, thanks in part to drugs like Tamoxifen, Whelan argued.
Whelan added that it wasn't surprising corporate donors would hope to get good PR and a boost in sales from their philanthropy, but added that media scrutiny would be better served finding where money is spent by breast cancer advocates, including Brenner's group.