Autism and vaccines: why telling every side of a scientific story is rarely fair

[HuckleB]

http://mashable.com/2016/04/02/vaccines-autism-false-balance/#4D3I3rUHV8qz

"...

De Niro’s call for open discussion echoes the kinds of exhortations most frequently made to journalists — to provide a fair and balanced (translate: unbiased) account of any topic we report on by presenting all sides of the issue. De Niro, who claims not to be anti-vaccination, himself, may have thought he was doing the right and “fair” thing by giving a platform to Wakefield’s documentary.

But herein lies the sticking point: When communicators of any sort, journalists or otherwise, give an equal voice to unsubstantiated or even discredited ideas, they’re actually introducing bias — not removing it — by presenting a contrarian viewpoint as though it has a credible weight in the discussion.

This type of mistake is particularly egregious in the world of science communication, which by nature should be driven by data and hard evidence rather than feelings. And yet this is by no means the first time it’s been made.

The climate contrarian movement,for instance — perhaps one of the most famous widespread examples of science denial in the nation — was routinely given a voice in the mainstream media until very recently.

..."

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A good piece that covers the false equivalency issue quite well.

[octoberlib]

1. Andrew Wakefield will never go away. Ugh.

Good article.

[BlueMTexpat]

2. De Niro should have stuck to

acting. Providing a forum and lending his name to this totally unsubstantiated and discredited idea do real harm. He should be thoroughly ashamed of himself.

[HuckleB]

3. I hope he has learned from it.

[BlueMTexpat]

4. I hope so too.

I have admired him as an actor.

But this incident really left my head spinning. Unfortunately, there are too many "celebrities" who seem to think that their mere status confers medical knowledge and authority. Here are some: http://jezebel.com/heres-a-fairly-comprehensive-list-of-anti-vaccination-c-1714760128

Sadly, there are many more. Many can be faulted for bad judgments in other areas as well. But at least in those areas, it is generally a lifestyle choice that impacts them alone. in this area, however, their bad judgment has severe public health consequences that can and does destroy the lives of innocent third parties. That simply cannot be tolerated.

[Odin2005]

5. Why are there so many actors with nutty beliefs?

Does acting just tend to attract those kind of people or what?

[NightWatcher]

6. Many live in a bubble of make believe.

My friend is a writer out in Hollywoodland and says it's a wonder some of them know how to feed and wipe themselves. They are pampered by handlers 24/7.

[Odin2005]

7. That would explain why Scientology is so popular there.

[NightWatcher]

8. See above reply about acceptance of make believe

Rampant vapid egos running wild in Lala Land.

[Odin2005]

9. Whoopsies, I meant "THAT would explain"!

[NightWatcher]

10. We're both right!

[HuckleB]

11. It does seem odd, indeed.

Insularity must be part of the equation.