Tag: seth mnookin

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Interview: Seth Mnookin on Championing Smart, Compassionate Vaccine Information

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Seth Mnookin’s book The Panic Virus: A True Story of Medicine, Science, and Fear is a smart, compassionate, detailed history of  vaccine misinformation and distrust. It’s being re-released in paperback tomorrow, with a new cover, a more direct subtitle, and a new afterword. TPGA editor Shannon Rosa talked with Seth last year about the motivation and goals behind The Panic Virus; she spoke with him again last week about his book’s intended audience; the critical and oft-misconstrued distinctions between vaccine court rulings and scientific proof; the frequently misunderstood role of vaccine reporting and compensation programs like VAERS and NVICP; and how pediatricians, OB/GYNs, and parents themselves can all contribute towards improved — and best — vaccine information practices. —- How are you feeling about the impact your book has had, with respect to your original goals? Are you reaching the folks you hope to reach? People who are aware of…

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An Interview with Dr. Robert Goldberg, PhD, Author of Tabloid Medicine

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I got a chance to talk with Dr. Robert Goldberg PhD about his new book “Tabloid Medicine.” In it he breaks apart the formula for Tabloid Medicine: change the terminology to fit your agenda, create an instant expert, play the little guy against the big guy, proliferate bad information, then find a celebrity to lead the charge. Voila! Your very own epidemic-I make light, but this book doesn’t, since it’s not really a funny topic. We spoke of how he came to the topic as a parent, when his own daughter struggled with misinformation in the media, but continued, fueled by the tragedy that with so much good the internet could be doing, it was being “hijacked” by the likes of Andrew Wakefield, Jenny McCarthy, David Healy, Sidney Wolfe MD, and Barbara Loe Fisher. Passionate about the subject, and well-grounded by facts, Dr. Goldberg answered a few questions for me.…

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An Interview with Seth Mnookin, Author of The Panic Virus

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It is bizarre that claims linking vaccines to autism have persisted for more than a decade when they can be debunked by a sixty-second Google search. But, as investigative journalist Seth Mnookin explains in his new book The Panic Virus, vaccine facts can’t always compete with parent-, internet-, and media-generated vaccine beliefs. The Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism talked with Mr. Mnookin about his book, about the risks of complacency regarding public opinion on vaccines and autism, the flaws of modern science journalism, why and how pediatricians need to step up their participation in vaccine education, the tragedy of an autism community divided, and why we need to keep blasting holes in echo chamber walls. —– Why did you feel compelled to write this book? It was not because I had a personal connection, which is odd because it’s such an emotional topic. But I was shocked at how people…