when misinformation takes on a life of its own

[Guest guest]

A Broken Trust: Lessons from the Vaccine-Autism Wars

Copying snips . reminding also of how testimonials sustain belief in

alternative medicine:

" People must trust experts to protect them from risk, whether they're

getting on an airplane or vaccinating their kids, she explains. When faith

in experts erodes, personal responsibility prevails. " People think if you

blindly follow experts, you're not taking personal responsibility, " she

adds.

Offit blames the media for keeping the myth alive by following the

" journalistic mantra of 'balance,' " perpetually presenting two sides of an

issue even when only one side is supported by the science. And shows like

" Larry King Live " have been " just awful on this issue, " he adds, placing

ratings and controversy above public health by repeatedly giving McCarthy

and other " true believers " a platform to peddle fear and misinformation.

But Offit also wishes scientists would do a better job of communicating

theoretical risk and the difference between coincidence and causation. Once

you raise the notion of a possibility of harm, he says, " it's hard for

people to get that notion out of their head. "

With the explosion of " contrary " expertise online, Kaufman says, " many

parents see even the most respected vaccine experts' perspective on the

issue as just one more opinion. " The bulk of antivaccination Web sites

present themselves as legitimate sources of scientific information, using

pseudoscientific claims and emotional appeals, according to a 2002 study in

Archives of Disease in Childhood

<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12089115> [19].

Making matters worse, the study found, nearly all sites adopted an " us

versus them " approach, casting doctors and scientists as either " willing

conspirators cashing in on the vaccine 'fraud' or pawns of a shadowy vaccine

combine. "

Parents' intuitive views about vaccines were elevated above " cold,

analytical science. " Accounts of children " maimed or killed by vaccines "

were common-a finding that may help explain why those who advocate

immunization receive death threats.

" Now, more than ten years after unfounded doubts about vaccine safety first

emerged, scientists and public health officials are still struggling to set

the record straight. .. No matter that the overwhelming weight of evidence

shows that climate change is real, or that vaccines don't cause autism.

.. When scientists find themselves just one more voice in a sea of " opinions "

about a complex scientific issue, misinformation takes on a life of its own.

A Broken Trust: Lessons from the Vaccine-Autism Wars

Researchers long ago rejected the theory that vaccines cause autism, yet

many parents don't believe them. Can scientists bridge the gap between

evidence and doubt?

http://bit.ly/hYz9wa