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autism-vaccine link?

ElMondoHummus said:
This thread started with a link to a CNN story, so to return to the spirit of the OP :) I bump this thread with another CNN story:

Vaccine-autism question divides parents, scientists

Yes, the title is a statement of the blindingly obvious. It unfortunately also is a simple reaffirmation of the divide, and a poor story for education, as it conflates the good real science it contains with moral proclaimations and a "counter-expert" who's gone against the established grain on the topic.

Anyway, here's my rant: It seems as though there's no progression of knowledge in the mainstream news reportage of the autism-vaccine issue. All reportage seems to follow the script of "here's the affected parents", "here's the science", and "here are the counter-arguments to the accepted science". That story construction can lead to a mistaken impression that the counter-arguments have the same validity as the established science, and also reinforces a mistaken paradigm that individual experience trumps statistical evidence. It's a bit aggravating to see this over and over again.

End rant... anyway, some of you will have seen the story by now, but for the others that haven't, I admit there's nothing really new in this story. But it is an example of how news stories just keep following the same script in reporting this subject.
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RANT!
Well given the infortainment aspect of modern journalism that seems to generate the most viewer or reader interest. (Or at least that's what the people in charge think will produce the most interest).

So we have point/counter-point examples where it seems that one memebr or both are totaly biased and unable to engage is objectification of the issues.

We have outright lying when one person uses an objective standard, and then the other other side goes over into lying to say that somebody is denying the scientific truth (creationsim) or there is a bias that is minor (the liberal media) or a bias that is blind (the autism-vaccine association).

There is also the reality of talking points and spin where impression management is more valid than truth, the telling of a story (poor child ruined by vaccine), an appeal to emotion (illegal immigants took our jobs) or outright spin (the surge is working).

then there is the whole angle of punidtry where some non-expert like pat Buchanan, C. Mathews, Phyllis Scafley is treated as though they are some sort of authority and given carte blanch to say whatever. then there are bogus statistics like red vs. blue states, that denies the fact that about 15 of the 'red' states were won by Bush by a margin of less than 3% are called 'red', even though statisticaly they were neutral.

then you have the gross exageration which is normal for the media where something bad is milked for all that it is worth, and the terribel irony of whatever they are reporting on while there are millions of people dying from starvation, war and disease, but gosh, the price of gas to fill an SUV matters much more.
 
That poll is frightening. At times I really think we are at the edge of another dark age.
 
dudalb said:
That poll is frightening. At times I really think we are at the edge of another dark age.
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I've just read the transcript of the LarryKing Live show.
I'm not surprised McCarthy "did so well" - she pulled all the right strings, emotive when she needed to be, lied when she could (Don't tell me she doesn't know that vaccines do not have antifreeze in them - she is certain to have heard it's harmless polyethylene glycol, not ethylene glycol - this myth is commonly debunked), and every time one of the provaccine doctors tried to say something she interrupted. I don't think the doctor was able to complete a single sentence.

And Jay Gordon??? The paediatrician who let Christine Maggiore's baby die of AIDS because he doesn't believe HIV exists???? They had him on the show? And he pretends he is not "antivaccine"? Yeah, right....... "I'm not antivaccine, but I recommend you don't give any to your child, just like I recommended Christine Maggiore not vaccinate her vulnerable child"

I am really peed off big time by this.
Universal stupid rules.
 
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The whole CNN autism day special was a disaster for science. They managed to make a few factual declarations here and there while sensationalizing and using star power to advertise for the 'vaccines caused my child's autism' fanatics.
 
What is this going to do to public vaccination rates? I think they are going to fall, but I'm not sure by how much.
 
ectoplasm said:
What is this going to do to public vaccination rates? I think they are going to fall, but I'm not sure by how much.
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Of course the measles and mumps outbreaks that are currently going on specifically in the unvaccinated populations get little to no news coverage.
 
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ectoplasm said:
What is this going to do to public vaccination rates? I think they are going to fall, but I'm not sure by how much.
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Very good question. I think this whole Autism scare began around '98 and so we are likely seeing the repercussions of something that has been happening for awhile. There has been many very successful anti vax campaigns in the past and if successful enough, there ends up being major outbreaks and then suddenly everyone decides vaccines are a good thing after all.
 
ectoplasm said:
What is this going to do to public vaccination rates? I think they are going to fall, but I'm not sure by how much.
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They will probably stay about the same, there are thopse alreadu who have doctors fake the vaccine report (I only know of one case from the early 80s, one of my daughter's cohort. Here in the US there is a very strong consequence to not having your child vaccinated, they may not attend public school.
 
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