KSL ran a story last night called “
KSL examines a controversial therapy - detoxifying foot baths,” but the problem is it doesn’t sound controversial at all. Frankly, one might predict a boom in business because of it. Here’s a few examples why.
“We have a lady that comes in that has fibromyalgia,” said the employee. “…She called the next morning and said ‘I just have to tell you I woke up this morning with no pain and I have not done that in years.’”
The stories include a cancer patient in the middle of chemotherapy. “The third time she came in on her own, without a walker or a wheelchair.”
Alex Carvalho says the foot bath helped his fractured foot. “Three days later, I noticed - wait a second. It doesn’t hurt anymore,” he said.
KSL interviewed two doctors who said the idea that these foot baths detoxify the body is “ludicrous” and that “there’s no medical basis for this being any help.” KSL spent a week advertising the story and its “controversial” nature only to make it look the process look inviting and miraculous. Just look at that water!
Free PR? You Bet
This writing isn’t intended so much to pick at the reporting but as to show that the way the way it was conducted actually created a serious publicity benefit to the business owners. Science may be able to say that foot baths don’t work, and science may say this is merely a placebo effect, but KSL also told its audience that people with serious ailments have received comfort from their pain.
And that could be all that matters to some.
The Supreme Power of Photos/Visuals:
This isn’t the first time a story has run in the media world with the intent to examine and expose with an opposite effect. When it comes to television, visuals tell a powerful story. It is not uncommon for the visuals themselves to overtake the power of the spoken message coming from behind the microphone. This story does exactly that.
