Why do they publish such bullshit

[fearless]

This article appeared in the online version of The Age, a Melbourne broadsheet newspaper, yesterday.

"China recycling used condoms as cheap hair bands
November 13, 2007 - 3:09PM

Used condoms in southern China are being recycled into hair bands and they are selling well in local markets and beauty salons.

But they could spread sexually-transmittable diseases the condoms were originally meant to prevent, state media reported today.

Rubber hair bands have been found in local markets and beauty salons in Dongguan and Guangzhou cities in southern Guangdong province, China Daily newspaper said.

"These cheap and colourful rubber bands and hair ties sell well ... threatening the health of local people," it said.

Despite being recycled, the hair bands could still contain bacteria and viruses, it said.

"People could be infected with AIDS, warts or other diseases if they hold the rubber bands or strings in their mouths while waving their hair into plaits or buns," the paper quoted a local dermatologist as saying.

A bag of ten of the recycled bands sells much cheaper than others on the market, accounting for their popularity, the paper said.

China's manufacturing industry has been repeatedly tarnished this year by a string of scandals involving shoddy or dangerous goods made for both domestic and foreign markets.

AFP"

This sort of crap gets right up my nose. Does the media ever bother to check the veracity of what they print these days? As we know, the comment about potentially being infected with HIV is just bullshit. That aside, do they really believe that someone in China somehow has access to a supply of used condoms in the first place in order to recycle them into hair bands?

[Dragonette]

I was really annoyed with this too. There was a funny thread here about it so I didn't want to spoil the fun. But fuck this is infuriating. This sums up so many BS urban myths about HIV I don't know where to begin.
The media get away with it b/c they quote the Chinese media, they know this is uttermost BS but they don't care about the damage they do to us as long as they create a sensationalist image that kind of goes well with the made in China "date rape" beads of last week.