There were a lot of half-truths and out-right falsehoods peddled at CNN’s Republican debate Wednesday night, but perhaps the most damaging among them was the assertion by Donald Trump that childhood vaccinations cause autism, and others’ skepticism about the safety of the vaccine schedule set out by the American Academy of Pediatrics. …
Those who saw the vaccine exchange during the debate will rightly castigate the Republican field for their refusal to stand up for medical science consensus. But CNN’s role in raising the issue in the first place should not be overlooked.
If CNN, and other media, continues on the course of unprecedented politicization of vaccine safety by treating it as a campaign issue, the societal consensus on the safety and efficacy of vaccines may be eroded at tremendous cost. Here’s why. CONT.
Eric Merkley & Dominik Stecula (U. of British Columbia), The Monkey Cage