AGE OF AUTISM AWARD: BEST MEDIA

By Anne Dachel

AGE OF AUTISM AWARD FOR BEST REPORTING: ASHLEY REYNOLDS, KOMU-TV

BY ANNE DACHEL

Over the last six years I've spent a great deal of time writing to reporters who cover autism.  I've done this for one reason:  The truth about the damage being done by vaccines and the cover-up by officials will continue until the public is made aware of the facts.  It's that simple.  We can have endless statistics and scientific research about vaccines and autism, but unless the press tells the public, the lies will just go on.  People trust the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention when they say there is no link.  I've found the press does too.  It takes a lot of courage to stand up to the medical establishment and to the CDC, and few reporters or editors can do it. 

There have been times when reporters have written back to me with interest and I've sent them a lot of information about the reality of the autism epidemic. Sometimes I've kept in touch for months, relaying additional developments.  I think the most heartbreaking thing for me has been when occasionally a reporter suddenly emails me and asks to be taken off my list.  They'll say things like, "I'm sorry, but I'm no longer covering autism," or "You've got convincing facts, but you really have an uphill battle ahead of you." 

That kind of statement is like being hit on the head.  How can anyone just move on after finding out detailed information about the worst medical disaster in U.S. history.  Are we just going to ignore the gross malfeasance at the CDC?  Don't people care that we're sacrificing a generation of children while the pharmaceutical industry reaps huge profits?  It's at these times that things seem the most hopeless. 

In the last couple of years I've also made some wonderful contacts with reporters.  I keep in touch and these people know the facts about autism.  They may not be able to report this information, but they're not going to be satisfied with CDC propaganda when the next autism assignment comes along.

There are more and more reporters out there who do present fair and balanced coverage about autism.  Autism is one of the hottest issues in the news and the public is paying attention.  Reporters now are aware that if they only give the claims of the CDC, they're going to come under immediate fire by advocates who demand responsible, ethical reporting. 

When I was asked to write on "the best" autism coverage, I could think of several outstanding people who've presented the claims of parents quite well, but one individual is far and away the best: Ashley Reynolds.  Ashley is responsible for the current series, "Combating Autism from Within" presented on KOMU-TV in Columbia, MO. The Combating Autism from Within series on KOMU TV, Columbia, MO is here. 

This all started a few months ago when KOMU-TV did a piece about the research of Dr. Judith Miles at the University of Missouri.  Dr. Miles produced findings that showed the drug RhoGam given to mothers with an Rh negative blood type while they were pregnant didn't result in the child developing autism, despite the fact that RhoGam contained thimerosal, a preservative made from mercury.  Her findings were also used as proof that thimerosal in vaccines wasn't tied to autism.  KOMU reported this conclusion much to the outrage of the autism community.  Many cited the fact the Johnson and Johnson, the maker of RhoGam, funded the research done by Dr. Miles.  I wrote to KOMU and brought up the fact that the report unfairly presented the two sides in this controversy as parents vs medical experts.  I asked why we didn't hear from any of the doctors or scientists who have done the research that disproves the findings of Dr. Miles. (See my email here.)

KOMU-TV next did an amazing thing.  They read several letters they'd received, mine included, on a segment called, "Your View."  That was really a first for me.  Next reporter Ashley Reynolds at KOMU did something even more incredible: She decided to pursue this story.  From all the response about Dr. Miles and thimerosal, she realized that there was something more here. 

Ashley asked for the names of the experts whose research challenged the findings of Dr. Miles.  She spent six months investigating the controversy.  She went and interviewed Dr. Boyd Haley, Dr. David Ayoub, and Dr. Frank Engley.  She visited the families struggling to raise their children with autism.  She observed firsthand what their lives were like.  From all this she learned about the toxicity of thimerosal and the damage that's been done.  The experts told her about the complete oversight failure regarding thimerosal and the reason behind the chronic denials from the CDC.  They made it clear that this controversy isn't about the science surrounding mercury use in vaccines.  It's about self-protection and covering up the biggest medical mistake in history. 

Ashley did one more extraordinary thing, she contacted the CDC to get someone to go on the record answering a question: How can the CDC continue to vouch for the afety of mercury use in vaccines when thimerosal was never tested and approved by the FDA before it was allowed in our children's vaccinations?  It's a simple and straightforward question, but one I've never heard anyone else ask them before.  Coverage of the CDC's response aired on Christmas Eve and the fourteen part series on autism ended on Christmas Day.

I saved the most amazing thing about Ashley Reynolds for last.  Ashley isn't exactly a full-fledged reporter yet.  She's actually an undergraduate student at the University of Missouri School of Journalism and the U. of MO owns KOMU-TV, which is also an NBC affiliate.

The managers and editors in the news department are School of Journalism faculty members.  The main anchors are also considered faculty members, while the reporters, weekend/substitute anchors, and many producers are undergraduate and graduate broadcast journalism students.

When I asked Ashley how she came to do this series, she gave me a simple answer that many reporters covering autism wouldn't be able to say.  She wrote, "We are taught at the Missouri School of Journalism to seek the truth and that is what I am trying to do."   

Many reporters only give us official claims and denials.  Parents are left to protest this one-sided coverage, but their views are quickly dismissed.  Ashley felt she had to present both sides in this controversy.  Her goal was one of raising awareness and providing information so the public can ask educated questions about autism.   

I wish more people in the media felt like Ashley.  She looked into the studies that had opposite conclusions from Dr. Miles.  She saw the difference between epidemiological and toxicological research.  Ashley questioned these differences and she reported to the public. 

If it were within my power, I'd give Ashley Reynolds the highest journalism prize I could find.  She

did what few reporters have done: She gave us both sides in this debate.  That's all the people in the autism community have ever wanted.  It's wonderful to know that KOMU-TV autism series online and the "Combating Autism from Within" blog have gotten thousands and thousands of hits.  Maybe the greatest reward Ashley can claim from this is the fact that because of her coverage many parents skipped the flu vaccine for their children this year.   If even one child was saved from the damaging effect of mercury exposure, there's a tremendous satisfaction in that. 

This series ended on Christmas Day but the impact will continue to felt everywhere.  Ashley has raised the standard for reporting on the autism epidemic and this is why Ashley Reynolds's work deserves to be called the THE BEST.

Anne Dachel is Media Editor for Age of Autism.

Comments

[Todd Shapiro]

For Immediate Release

Contact Todd Scott
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LANDMARK FEDERAL COURT CONCESSION THAT 9 YEAR OLD LOCAL CHILD FROM ATLANTA DEVELOPED AUTISM FROM VACCINES


CHILD JOINS PARENTS IN PRESS CONFERENCE ABOUT THIS HISTORIC RESULT AT ATLANTA FEDERAL COURT HOUSE TOMORROW




LOCAL COUPLE FROM ATLANTA WILL JOIN WITH THEIR 9 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER, HANNAH, IN A PRESS CONFERENCE DISCUSSING THEIR DAUGHTER’S DEVELOPMENT OF AUTISM AS A RESULT OF VACCINES. THIS LANDMARK CASE ALLEGED THAT AUTISM WAS CAUSED BY CHILDHOOD VACCINES AND WAS SCHEDULED TO BE HEARD AS A TEST CASE BEFORE THE CONCESSION WAS MADE. THE PRESS CONFERENCE WILL BE HELD TOMORROW, THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 2008 AT 11:30 AM ON THE STEPS OF U.S. FEDERAL COURTHOUSE AT 75 SPRING STREET IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL HAVE ESTIMATED THAT 1 IN 166 CHILDREN HAVE AUTISM, AND MANY HAVE LINKED THE AUTISM EPIDEMIC IN THIS COUNTRY TO THE MERCURY BASED PRESERVATIVE USED IN CHILDHOOD VACCINES.

[Ed Papier]

To see a clear demonstration of how mercury destroys brain neurons on YouTube, go to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHqVDMr9ivo

[Stan]

I wholeheartedly concur in this award. Ashley did a great job, in following the tenets of the Missouri School of Journalism, wherever that dedication to principle would lead her. Would that more reporters were so inclined.