Now, here is a rundown of the tactics used in this infomercial type of news clip……..

1) While the story begins with referring to the Acai berry in general, it almost seamlessly transitions to focus on one particular company selling the product and the fact that it has “scammed” this poor defenseless woman, while never separating the nutrition value of the berry itself from the one product or the company selling it.

2) Even more telling is that the newswoman never mentions the name of the actual company or product in question. If this is an investigative journalism story about this company and it’s product, it was very poorly sourced. But it sure made me feel like the entire marketplace of Acai berries and supplements must surely all be a scam.

3) Our victim never says whether or not the supplement worked or didn’t work for her, only that the un-named company kept sending her more. Yet the title of this story is “Berry Weight Loss Claims Investigated” Did you hear anything about claims or the investigation of them? All I heard was that the Acai berry supplement companies (plural) are scams and may overcharge you in an already bad economy. This is very much like the scare tactics used in good old-fashioned terrorism. If I buy these berries I might get scammed. I better not buy these berries. -OR-  If we don’t pass this banker bail-out bill, there will be martial law and riots in the streets. I better pass this bill. -OR- If I don’t support this war, there will be terrorist attacks at home. I better support the war, or at least the troops, which means I support the war… Duh… I’m confused!

This my friends is a classic bait-and-switch, or co-intel-pro, and it happens all day on every channel. This is the basic strategy of most news stories you hear on the mainstream news. A company is hired to film and piece together a story, an infomercial if you will. Then that story, which is usually sponsored by a corporation or lobbying group who pays more money than you or I will ever make in our lifetime, gets distributed throughout the country to FOX, ABC, NBC, CBS, and CNN… In turn, these conglomerates then funnel the infomercial to each local affiliate where a pretty reporter in a low-cut blouse with a winning smile stands in front of some unrelated building, local landmark, or city block and films an introduction and an ending to the video. This makes it look as if it’s a local interest story, and not a paid for commercial or a piece of undocumented propaganda as this particular piece was.

So the next time you take a break to watch the “news“, remember to put on your tinfoil hat and 3-D glasses, or whatever you think protects you from the corporate machine.

—>  On a personal note, I was lucky enough to have Brazilian roommates in New York City who would buy imported fresh frozen Acai from their hometown (with no additives). It is indeed great for energy and even weight loss. However, weight loss is accomplished by a balanced healthy low-fat diet and exercise. Popping pills is not the answer. As with everything in life, you must work for results. Now, I am certainly not saying that there aren’t dishonest companies around or that you shouldn’t be wary. Do the research for yourself… you’ll be surprised what’s out there!

The Acai (ah-sigh-ee) berry has been around for thousands of years and not until the 1990’s was it introduced to the western world. It was discovered to have natural antioxidant properties, as well as being a natural cholesterol controller. When eaten it helps reduce the bad cholesterol in our blood and increases the good cholesterol. The tribes of the Amazon knew of these properties and found out that it helped build the immune system, fight infection, protect the heart, and control prostate enlargement (nature’s Viagra). It was a great energy food for the tribes-people. The Acai berry, which is a palm fruit, was traditionally pulped to make wine that was rich in minerals. The Acai berry was also discovered to fight schistosomosis, which is transmitted by snails. Schistosomosis affecting more than 10 million Brazilians. The Acaí berry is also used to produce an antibiotic that helps to fight against ‘Staphylococcus Aureus,’ a common infection contracted mainly in hospitals. A berry so useful but only known to the traditional tribes men and woman of the Amazon, a lost secret. Acai is naturally full with energy, it has a vibrant taste of berries with a hint of chocolate, is rich in proteins, fiber, vitamin E, minerals and essential Omega oils to reduce our bad cholesterol caused by our western diets. The Acai berries fatty acid ratio resembles that of olive oil which is thought to be a contributing factor to low incidence of heart disease in Mediterranean populations. The Acai berry contains similar properties as red wine in controlling fats in the blood and is a fair contributor to go up against the wine diets of the Mediterranean people. Known as the miracle fruit, Acai berries also helps in preventing cancer due to it’s antioxidant properties that are five times more potent than Gingko Biloba, a commonly used herbal therapy product.