As a parent surrounded by other parents I know that the topic of “vaccine safety” is on most parent’s minds. Sure it is a small sample size, but it is what it is. An interesting aspect to the controversy surrounding the topic is the question of where do people get their facts from? Where do we learn about the most recent scientific discoveries and findings? The truth is, most of us rely on the media.
Here’s a great example of where the media is giving us misinformation by not giving us any information at all. 6 papers ran a story about how the MMR vaccine was being linked to asthma. When the results actually came back and there was no link, did the 6 papers run the updated information? No, its not really as interesting, is it?
We (media consumers) have to be careful about how we interpret and act on information provided by the media. They really aren’t on our sides, for the most part.