Natural News on The Dearth of Honest Vaccine Reporters
Managing Editor's Note: Our own Anne Dachel is featured in this article. As always, profound gratitude to Robert Kennedy for his stalwart dedication.
(NaturalNews) Noted vaccine choice advocate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., gave a speech recently at the New Jersey state capitol in Trenton in which he focused primarily on the corruption, collusion and malfeasance regarding vaccine safety at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As noted by Anne Dachel of Age of Autism, a news website covering the spread of the disability, RFK also discussed the media's role in covering up the scandalous link between some vaccines and the occurrence of autism, which is routinely portrayed in the press as "old science" or a link that has been "soundly disproven."
But, as she reported in a story regarding RFK's discussion, the reaction of the assembled press was both predictable and depressing:
He focused on the corruption, collusion and malfeasance at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It was a scathing report about the ethics of the agency in charge of vaccine safety.
The second half of his 45 minute talk was a chance for reporters to question Kennedy about his claims. Incredibly, during the question and answer session not a single reporter asked about the scandalous charges Kennedy made about top U.S. health officials. Most of them asked about exemptions and herd immunity. It was like they weren't even in the room.
Only a handful of truthful, honest vaccine reporters
In a follow-up to his talk, Dachel asked RFK about the lack of media focus on the specific charges he made regarding the CDC. She asked him what he thought it would take for the mainstream media to finally begin covering the issue of vaccine safety fairly and honestly.
His response was, essentially, that it would never happen.
"The trillion dollar pharmaceutical industry is now the largest advertiser on television, radio and newspaper pages, spending from $3 billion to $5.4 billion annually over the past decade," RFK told her. "Pharmaceutical companies target network news divisions for their advertising buys partially for message control and partially for the demographic; TV news audiences tend to be older affluent pharmaceutical customers. A network news division president told me two weeks ago he would fire a newscaster or program host whose reporting or programming choice lost his station an advertising pharmaceutical company."
During his speech RFK also made a poignant, revealing observation about vaccine safety and media coverage:
several years? it's been fifteen since ..they admitted at Simpsonwood..
Dr. Bernier, pg. 256: "…As difficult as science is, there are two other equally tricky, complex challenges. The policy crafting has to take into consideration some very diverse and complex issues. There is another group that will deal with that, and then we have the communication and how we handle this, which I think I am no expert at, but seems equally daunting to me as the scientific and the policy issue."
"I don’t think we can set a rule here because some people have gotten these documents. For example, some of the manufacturers were privileged to receive this information. It has been important for them to share it within the company with the experts there, so they can review it. Some of you may have questions. You may have given a copy, but I think if we will all just consider this embargoed information, if I can use that term, and very highly protected information, I think that was the best I can offer.
Posted by: barbara j | May 07, 2015 at 10:17 PM
I agree with Bobby Kennedy. Producers Eric Gladen, Gary Null, Jeff Hayes and Mike Adams have the right idea: forget the mainstream media (MSM) they’ll never go against their advertisers and donors. Let me tell my experience pitching to the MSM and large foundations.
The first story is not about vaccines, though the second is. They are akin to in terms of the size of the damage. The first was about endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and the consequences of our exposure.
I'm a currently a freelance network field producer. I have edited NBC and PBS documentary network specials and series, and have produced and directed for ABC News and PBS Frontline.
At Frontline the senior producers set me up with a partner who whitewashed my shooting outline. When I protested they fired me. They stole my program, gave me a small fee and a small credit and told to me F*** off.
They drew the line at my wanting to report the link between EDC exposure and the 50% decline in human sperm counts between 1938 and 1991. This finding is backed up by two large meta-analyzes that arrive at the same results, but by different statistical methods. Consequently, I wanted to report the link and include an episode on the rapid growth of fertility clinics.
I was told, “We wouldn’t want to alarm anyone.” Later, I found out that the Competitive Enterprise Institute and the Chemical Council, both pro-industry groups, were advising the Frontline producers.
I then took my story to the head of risk assessment at the EPA, which became the lead agency in a proposed collaborative production backed by the heads of science at five federal agencies. The funding would funnel through a third group.
We were going to do a set of videos for Continuing Medical Education to inform health care providers about EDCs. I was also going to make a documentary for PBS.
After a visit to speak to the assembled scientists, and a solid year of negotiating with a very nice lady--who knew nothing about film production--we arrived at a contract in which I would produce and direct. The EPA then walked away, telling me the story was “too controversial.” By this they meant politically. EDCs are produced as byproducts in drug, chemical, plastic and paper manufacturing and by waste incinerators and automobiles.
There is a similar problem with reporting on vaccines. Industry control of the media has made it one of their propaganda arms. Honest reporting that might step on big toes is verboten.
I started raising funds to produce a documentary on vaccines in 2003. I’d read the Madsen paper from Denmark purporting to show that autism increased 20-fold when they removed Thimerosal—a preposterous, fraudulent find. I spent several years reading the science, talking with scientists and doctors and parents. One of my most helpful informants was Safe Minds. Several producers showed an interest in the program, but none of us could raise the money from foundations, wealthy individuals or the MSM. Finally, with a crowd funding campaign and the help of two small foundations, I was able to produce a video as follows. Please watch.
Our 30-minute proof of concept video is a distillation of the controversy. Biochemist Boyd Haley, PhD, disputes the claims of vaccine inventor and pitchman, Paul Offit, MD. Offit would vaccinate all children without exemptions on philosophical or religious grounds, a denial of basic human rights.
Since conventional medicine claims to be science-based and therefore superior to all other modalities, should we not listen when a scientist disagrees with a doctor about the science underlying vaccination safety and effectiveness?
I invite you to view Haley vs. Offit: A Virtual Debate About Vaccines, The Greatest Medical Controversy Of Our Time here: http://publicaffairsmediainc.blogspot.com/.
Richard P. Milner
Public Affairs Media
Posted by: richard p milner | May 07, 2015 at 07:58 PM
Georg Elser
Surely Offit is just the chief propagandist.
Posted by: Mercky Business | May 07, 2015 at 02:20 PM
The Future (a bleak prediction):
sb278 - a new bill is in the offing , mandatory lengthy custodial sentences on remote alaskan islands for anyone who dares to criticise the "imperial science of vaccine" .
And Paul Offit is our new lord and master . The fuhrer.
Posted by: Georg Elser | May 07, 2015 at 01:01 PM
"old science" or a link that has been "soundly disproven."
It hasn’t even begun to be written in any mainstream media.
MMR RIP
Posted by: Angus Files | May 07, 2015 at 12:18 PM
Call me naive, but I believe that if organizations such as Safe Minds conduct well-planned, strategic campaigns to meet face to face with carefully selected journalists, the tide can be turned over the course of several years. These are human beings under tremendous career pressure, but if faced repeatedly, in person, with parents and doctors carefully explaining the whole truth to them, they will change their minds, just as the four highlighted journalists did. Their are some of course who are thoroughly bought and paid for, who will never change their minds or allow themselves to see the truth. But I think there are a fair number who already suspect and just need to meet the real people behind the "anti-vax" label. I'm sure Anne Dachel could create a good short-list.
The government will never fix this of its own accord, so why waste time meeting with them. If the media starts doing it's job, the government will eventually have to make changes - because the people will WAKE UP.
Posted by: PANDAS Mom | May 07, 2015 at 11:45 AM