- Home
- Mission Statement
- Daily Vaccine News
- Daily News Archive
- Sandy's Column
- Sandy, Other
- Adverse Reactions
- Age of Autism - UPI
- Archived Sections
- Blogs
- Books
- Contact
- Donate
- Hilary and Ginger
- Important Notices
- Medical Journals
- Other Websites
- Political Action
- Privacy Statement
- RedFlags Archive
- State Laws
- Testimonials
- Unconventional Wisdom
- Vaccination Council
- Vaccine Research Library
- Vaccines, Pipeline
- Videos
- Video Archive
Media misled the public over the MMR vaccineReturn to Vaccination News Home Page Subscribe to the Vaccination NewsLetter View past & current Scandals (columns by Sandy Mintz) Search This Site using keywords http://bmj.com/cgi/content/abridged/326/7399/1107-a
BMJ 2003;326:1107 (24 May)
NewsNews roundup
Media misled the public over the MMR vaccineRoger Dobson Abergavenny
Most people wrongly believed that doctors and scientists are equally divided over the safety of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, according to new research carried out during the high profile public debate over the vaccine last year. At the height of the media coverage the impression was created that medical scientists were split down the middle over the vaccine's safety, including reports of links with autism, say the study's authors, from Cardiff University. Less than one in four people were aware that the bulk of the evidence favoured the vaccine, say the authors of the study. "Although almost all scientific experts rejected the claim of a link between MMR and autism, 53% of those [the people] surveyed at the height of the media coverage of the issues assumed that because both sides of the debate received equal media coverage, there must be equal evidence for each. Only 23% of the population were aware that the bulk of evidence favoured supporters of the vaccine," says the study.
Towards a Better Map: Science, the Public and the Media is available at the Economic and Social Research Council's website (www.esrc.ac.uk)
Return to Vaccination News Home Page DISCLAIMER: All information, data, and material contained, presented, or provided here is for general information purposes only and is not to be construed as reflecting the knowledge or opinions of the publisher, and is not to be construed or intended as providing medical or legal advice. The decision whether or not to vaccinate is an important and complex issue and should be made by you, and you alone, in consultation with your health care provider.
DISCLAIMER: All information, data, and material contained, presented, or provided here is for general information purposes only and is not to be construed as reflecting the knowledge or opinions of the publisher, and is not to be construed or intended as providing medical or legal advice. The decision whether or not to vaccinate is an important and complex issue and should be made by you, and you alone, in consultation with your health care provider.
Copyright 2012 by Vaccination News, A Non-Profit Corporation. All Rights Reserved. This content may not be copied unless permission in writing from Sandy Gottstein has been obtained. 
|
 "A foolish faith in authority is the worst enemy of truth." -- Albert Einstein, letter to a friend, 1901 "I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves, and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education." -- Thomas Jefferson, letter to William C. Jarvis, September 28, 1820 "What's the point of vaccination if it doesn't protect you from the unvaccinated?" -- Sandy Gottstein "Who gets to decide what the greater good is and how many will be sacrificed to it?" -- Sandy Gottstein |
