Good news. The media, apparently realizing that the public is catching on to all those celebrity drug endorsements (I wrote about Rob Lowe shilling for Amgen last month), is starting to be more upfront about their interviewees. The NY Times reports that CNN has a new policy to disclose their guests’ financial ties with companies if they wish to talk about a medical issue. Other networks are considering being more careful as well. A senior vice president at CBS says they will also start asking celebrities to reveal any financial connections to drugs they may be promoting.

At ABC they did ask Peggy Fleming’s representatives if she was pitching a drug when she came on to talk about heart disease. ABC claims they were told she was not, nevertheless, their interviewer was prepared with competing drug brand names when Fleming dropped the name of the cholesterol-reducing drug she takes. The drug company claimed ABC’s producer was clearly told ahead of time, but who can you believe? Luckily, it is easy to always question the validity when a celebrity mentions a name of a product that they claim to use. Don’t take advice from strangers. Celebrities, as much as you may think you know them, aren’t your friends unless you really do know them personally.