We know that historically, the media has done a very good job of scaring parents away from vaccinating and protecting their kids.
From pushing vaccine misinformation and vaccine scare stories to providing false balance about vaccine stories, many in the media have promoted myths and fake controversies when reporting about vaccines.
Things have been getting better though.
Is the TODAY Show Stoking Vaccine Fears?
Or have they…
Do you see what’s wrong with the TODAY Show story about Jessica Biel?
Are they really asking whether or not vaccines are safe?!?
It’s not a debate!
Vaccines are safe!
Did they really get called out by HuffPo for irresponsibly covering vaccines?
You might realize how ironic that is if you remember just how bad HuffPo used to be, regularly posting some of the worst anti-vaccine stories. Have they gotten better?
The HuffPo is better, but certainly not perfect, by any means…
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr is not a vaccine skeptic!
The TODAY Show’s Coverage of Vaccines
Of course, this wouldn’t be the first time that the TODAY show has scared parents away from vaccines. After all, they are the ones who aired excerpts of Vaccine Roulette, the show which many people credit with starting the modern anti-vaccine movement.
More recently, the TODAY Show had Robert De Niro on to talk about Andrew Wakefield‘s
After so many missteps in the past, the TODAY Show shouldn’t be making these kinds of mistakes anymore.
If they do, there will be plenty of folks ready to call them out.
More on the TODAY is Show Stoking Vaccine Fears
- The Sharyl Attkisson Journalism Award
- Recommendations for Reporting About Vaccines
- False Balance About Vaccines at the Chicago Tribune
- Anti-Vaccine Folks Are Abusing Press Release Distribution Networks
- Why Does the BMJ Post Anti-Vaccine Propaganda?
- What Are the Greatest Tricks Anti-Vaccine Folks Use to Persuade Parents to Skip Vaccines?
- The Fatal Flaw in the Anti-Vaccine Movement
- Avoiding False Balance: Vaccines in the Media
- Science deniers use false equivalence to create fake debates
- Why Is CNBC Posting Anti-Vaccination Propaganda?
- The media’s MMR hoax
- CMPI Responds to Katie Couric and CBS Evening News’ Coverage of Vaccines and Autism Myth
- Huffpo Attacks GMO Bananas
- Salon vs HuffPo
- Homeopathy Pseudoscience at the HuffPo
- Anti-Flu Vaccine Rants at the HuffPo
- Facilitated Communication – Again – in the HuffPo
- Huffington Post Still Believes Vaccines Cause Autism