Dachel Media Update: Attkisson Stands By Her Journalism
By Anne Dachel
Read Anne's commentary and view the links after the jump. The Dachel Media Update is sponsored by Lee Silsby Compounding Pharmacy and their OurKidsASD brand.
On CNN the former CBS reporter stands by her coverage of the vaccine-autism controversy. Please visit her site often at SharylAttkisson.com.
April 21, 2014 Sharyl Attkisson Defends Reports on Vaccine-Autism Link: 'Many Peer-Reviewed Studies' Show It
"The loudest criticisms I've heard about your reporting have been about a series that you did years ago. It was about childhood vaccinations and whether those are linked to a rise in autism. You portrayed it at different times as a debate that was continuing to happen in the scientific community.
"Do you regret those stories now, years later."
Sharyl Attkisson: "No, I think those were some of the most important stories I've done and I would like to continue along those lines, at some point. It continues to be a very important debate."
CNN anchor: "You hear doctors say framing that as a debate has hurt people, has damaged people's understanding of medical issues by encouraging them not to get vaccinated."
Attkisson: "Well, you can believe that. I'm not here to fight doctors. I'm just saying that factually I'm not here to advocate for one side or the other. I'm just saying that factually, there are many peer-reviewed published studies that do make an association and the government itself has acknowledged a link. And again, people can do their own research. They certainly don't have to believe me or one doctor over another. I think they have to dig deep and look for themselves."
She ended the interview saying, "There are sophisticated efforts to manipulate the images and the information you see everyday in ways that you won't recognize. I think we could all be more savvy about that." The Dachel Media Update is sponsored by Lee Silsby Compounding Pharmacy and their OurKidsASD brand. Lee Silsby Compounding Pharmacy is one of the largest and most respected compounding pharmacies in the country. They use only the finest quality chemicals and equipment to prepare our patients’ compounded medications and nutritional supplements. Customizing medication and nutritional supplements for our customers allows them to achieve their unique health goals.
Anne Dachel is Media Editor for Age of Autism and author of The Big Autism Cover-Up: How and Why the Media Is Lying to the American Public, which goes on sale this Fall from Skyhorse Publishing.
Links to the video of this interview have all but disappeared?
Posted by: TheBoom | April 28, 2014 at 07:56 PM
LOL, the missing jet! That's why so many people don't even watch the news anymore. It's nothing that even matters. Check out some alternative sites, people! They even have health sections.
Posted by: Check out alternative sites | April 23, 2014 at 10:05 AM
"Journalism has been reduced to intellectual infantilism!"
John Stone
Posted by: Benedetta | April 23, 2014 at 08:38 AM
"Which is what the press is for -- not to give 24-hour coverage to a still-missing Malaysian jetliner, but to hold powerful interests, and specifically the United States government, to account on behalf of the people"
Dan Olmstead
So we hae to be Savy? Do you know that being Savy is impossible when it is every word that comes out of the news caster's mouth. You might as well as turn off the TV and not bother with reading newspapers - so what is left -- so far the internet.
Posted by: Benedetta | April 23, 2014 at 08:33 AM
The mentality of these people is pathetic. Although they are often improperly decided when it comes to issues of national security - where the human price for getting something wrong is deeply serious - there is always a debate: people are allowed to discuss their views even at the risk that they might be catastrophically mistaken. But in this case it may not be broached. They defer to a priesthood of scientists, but behind the priesthood is a cosy business (actually a racket). The reputation of the vaccine program is inviolable. Above all there is collective cowardice, corruption and laziness from the mainstream media: we know that there are journalists who know better (Sharyl Attkisson is the most prominent) but it is the pusillanimity of editors that is selling the public down the river.
This is what happened in the UK:
http://www.ageofautism.com/2012/12/leveson-inquiry-submission.html
Posted by: John Stone | April 23, 2014 at 07:37 AM
CNN anchor: "You hear doctors say framing that as a debate has hurt people, has damaged people's understanding of medical issues by encouraging them not to get vaccinated."
Ah yes .. a clever way of saying the "debate is over" .. without actually saying the "debate is over".
As George Will recently observed .. whenever one side claims the "debate is over" .. it is an admission that the debate is not only ongoing .. .. but .. those claiming the debate is over are losing it.
As Lou stated .. labeling someone dangerous (Sharyl) because they recommend parents .. think .. question .. research .. debate .. is last refuge of a media desperate to "end a debate" which is far from over.
If the media really wanted to "end the debate" over vaccine safety .. they would be among the LOUDEST voices supporting pending federal legislation that seeks to fund the ONE study that could hasten the "end of the debate" .. that study being a scientific, INDEPENDENT study of vaccinated vs unvaccinated populations.
But .. supporting THAT study would require the media to "think .. question .. research .. debate" why THIS study .. against all common sense .. has never been done?
God bless Sharyl .. I am very grateful to have her finally "unleashed" .. YOU GO GIRL!!!!
Posted by: Bob Moffitt | April 23, 2014 at 06:02 AM
What I found so remarkable is that Sharyl easily countered this nonsense about the debate being dangerous by simply saying what should be done:
Think.
Question.
Research.
Debate.
This is what the other side fears.
We all know why.
Posted by: Louis Conte | April 22, 2014 at 11:54 PM
Sharyl Attkisson's got spunk. The major news networks hate spunk.
Posted by: Jen | April 22, 2014 at 11:42 PM
Thanks, Anne. The top link at Sharyl's site:
http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-27074746
http://www.princeton.edu/~mgilens/Gilens%20homepage%20materials/Gilens%20and%20Page/Gilens%20and%20Page%202014-Testing%20Theories%203-7-14.pdf
For anyone who likes (or maybe needs) to see a pretty obvious observation published as a study I guess:
"Multivariate analysis indicates that economic elites and organized groups representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on U.S. government policy, while average citizens and mass-based interest groups have little or no independent influence. The results provide
substantial support for theories of Economic Elite Domination and for theories of Biased Pluralism, but not for theories
of Majoritarian Electoral Democracy or Majoritarian Pluralism."
Posted by: Jeannette Bishop | April 22, 2014 at 07:17 PM