The EM Radiation Research Trust, an independent UK charitable trust, has lambasted The Guardian for falsely claiming that 5G is completely safe.

In an open letter to The Guardian and to the UK’s largest independent regulator of newspapers and magazines, the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), EM Radiation Research Trust alleges that The Guardian has failed to provide responsible, balanced and accurate reporting in its articles on 5G.  EM Radiation Research Trust has called on IPSO to investigate the breaches.

EM Radiation Research Trust writes that ‘It is highly irresponsible to provide a one-sided biased opinion’ and points out The Guardian’s error in relying on assurances of safety from the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).  EM Radiation Research Trust’s letter states:

‘In truth, the ICNIRP guidelines are deeply flawed and obsolete. The guidelines are set by a small, non-governmental organization of invitation-only, unelected private members who set guidelines for thermal heating for short term acute exposures only. We feel the last part of the sentence bears repeating for emphasis: ICNIRP sets guidelines for thermal heating for short term, acute exposures only. That means ICNIRP is only concerned whether or not 5G causes burns, heatstroke, or shocks.’

However, as pointed out in the letter, ‘when the general public thinks about health concerns from a phone mast/cell tower, they are not thinking shocks and heatstroke. The general public’s concern related to RF radiation have to do with cancer, immune suppression, neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and ALS, behavioral problems, learning disabilities, birth defects and infertility. When a Guardian reader finds reassurance in Alex Hern’s [the journalist’s] words that the evidence that 5G is safe is “overwhelming”, it might also be advisable that The Guardian mention ICNIRP’s timeframe for testing.

‘ICNIRP’s latest paper published May 2020 repeatedly highlights the fact that 6 minutes is the normal time frame to a small area of the body, plus a 30-minute window for whole-body exposure in assessing any health effects associated with thermal effects to the flesh area of the body. The Guardian is, therefore, supporting safety claims for everyone exposed to 5G based on the fact that the public will not feel any heating effects during a 6 minute exposure. The public will be exposed to this form of radiation 24/7 for a lifetime, not 6 minutes. The ICNIRP standards are woefully inadequate in offering any form of protection in the real world, real-life settings for public long term exposure and especially children.’

To read the full letter, go to https://www.radiationresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/RRT-Letter-to-Guardian.pdf

In Australia, the Australian Press Council is the principal body with responsibility for responding to complaints from the public about content in Australian newspapers, magazines and associated digital outlets.  The Council’s Standards of Practice require publications to take reasonable steps to ensure that factual material is accurate and not misleading, and presented with reasonable fairness and balance.

In addition, the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA) can investigate journalists who are members of its organisation for breaches of MEAA’s Journalist Code of Ethics.