For the past two weeks, I have watched with amazement the media circus that has characterized the debate on Dr. Andrew Wakefield’s study first published in The Lancet in 1998.  According to the article written by Brian Deer and recently published in the British Journal of Medicine–the one that the mainstream media is throwing around like it is gospel–Dr. Wakefield’s research study is denounced as a fraud, and now everyone should feel better because obviously vaccines don’t cause autism.

Here is the truth, in my very own perception.  We don’t “officially” know if vaccines do or don’t cause autism–because there has never been a study of vaccinated versus unvaccinated children.  When I was taught about the scientific method in junior high and high school, we learned about the value of true experiment and control groups.  Remember?

It has taken me so long to write this article because, as someone who worked in media and government relations for years, I cannot believe the lack of objectivity shown by professional journalists I once respected.  Yes, I am talking about you, George Stephanopoulos.  If Stephanopoulos had only let Dr. Wakefield get a word in edgewise, we would have heard the other half of the story.  It certainly seems that George had his own agenda.  It doesn’t seem that Anderson Cooper did much research on Brian Deer, based on his interview questions.  We deserve better.

It also seems that almost everyone in the mainstream media has missed pointing out the truth.  Here are some truths:

• Though Brian Deer published his article in the British Journal of Medicine, he is not a doctor, like Dr. Wakefield.  He is a freelance journalist.  Does this make him less credible in critiquing the methods of researchers with medical degrees?  You can decide for yourself.  Did you know that Deer was a freelance journalist?  I hadn’t heard that in the news.
• Dr. Wakefield, in the study published in The Lancet, only reported that the children in his “case series” had a novel form of bowel disease, and that the parents involved in the study reported a temporal link between the onset of symptoms and the receipt of the MMR vaccine.  Notably, Dr. Wakefield never stated that the MMR caused autism.
• In a press release issued on January 13, 2011, Dr. Wakefield stated, “The MMR is only one vaccine of the eleven vaccinations on the pediatric schedule that has been studied for causing developmental problems such as autism. That is fact, not opinion. Any medical professional, government official or journalist who states that the case is closed on whether vaccines cause autism is jumping to conclusions without the research to back it up.”
• Dr. Wakefield has been described in a January 12, 2011 press release by 12 autism advocacy and parent groups as “… extraordinarily courageous in treating and researching children suffering with both bowel disease and autism. He has paid a high personal price for his refusal to walk away from children who are suffering and has earned the utmost respect from the families of these children.”  The groups continue, “We believe this is an industry-driven attempt to shift public attention away from legitimate concerns about vaccine reactions and the development of autism.  Science, even controversial findings, should not be distorted by fear or greed.”
• The results of Dr. Wakefield’s research have been duplicated in five other countries, and in January 2010, the journal Pediatrics published a paper on treating gastrointestinal symptoms for children with autism.
• The 12 autism advocacy and parent groups (listed below) assert in their press release that, “The epidemiological studies that claim to prove there is no link between the MMR and autism have not had the statistical power to rule out a link for a subset of susceptible children.  Much study remains to be done.”

It certainly seems that much study does remain.  When it comes to autism, it seems that it is sometimes hard to find credible information in the mainstream media.  How can we make our own decisions if the information thrown at us is not objective?

You can read Dr. Wakefield’s study for yourself, and come to you own conclusions at www.generationrescue.org.  If you are interested in the MMR vaccine-Dr. Wakefield saga, which this certainly has become, you can find the information online at www.ageofautism.com

It’s time we, as interested parties on the autism issue, demanded some responsibility from the people who are supposed to bring us objective and honest news stories.  There is a lot of information out there, and it is vital that both sides of one story are told so that we can make up our own minds.

Following is the list of organizations that have issued their support for Dr. Wakefield’s work in the above-mentioned press release:

Age of Autism

Autism Action Network:

Age of Autism

Autism Action Network

Autism Media Channel

Autism One

Autism File Global

Autism Research Institute

Elizabeth Birt Center for Autism Law and Advocacy

Generation Rescue

National Autism Association

Schafer Autism Report

TACA-Talk About Curing Autism

The Autism Trust USA/UK

The Coalition for SafeMinds

Autism Media Channel

Autism One

Autism File Global

Autism Research Institute

Elizabeth Birt Center for Autism Law and Advocacy

Generation Rescue

National Autism Association

Schafer Autism Report

TACA-Talk About Curing Autism

The Autism Trust USA/UK

The Coalition for SafeMinds