Most Pro-Vaccination propaganda comes directly from PR organizations like the Counsel on Foreign Relations, not from actual scientists, yet is repeated Ad nauseam in mainstream media. [Discussion]

27  2014-02-20 by dragonboltz

This "Vaccine-preventable Outbreaks map", has been cited in literally thousands of media releases, news stories and blogs

Even though it is not a scientific study, is not peer reviewed, and blatantly manipulates the viewer (for example - the bubbles showing 1 reported case of the disease outbreak are almost the same size as ones reporting hundreds of cases).

Most of the sources the Counsel on Foreign Relations map uses are just scaremongering media releases pushed by the CFR, governments and mainstream media that almost always end in the article trying to convince the reader into buying/receiving a vaccination.

Another issue is that the data on the CFR map is selectively presented in a way that suggests outbreaks of diseases are in many cases increasing far more than they really are - for example, the map shows less than 50 cases of Whooping cough in the USA in 2008, which seem to have increased to many thousands in later years, when in reality there were 13278 cases in 2008, as reported by the US governments own statistics.

What this map does is selectively measures numbers of media reports on disease outbreaks, yet it presents itself as a chart that measures all outbreaks of diseases over time.

I repeat..

This map selectively measures Pro-Vaccination propaganda and media attention, not disease outbreaks

It is absolutely appalling to me that so many pro-vaccine people, many of whom claim to be skeptics will accept things like this map without any investigation, and parrot the CFR propaganda all over Reddit as if they are personally experts on the subject of vaccinations and human biology.

This is a prime example of how data can be manipulated and presented in a way that supports any agenda, and of why we should be skeptical of ALL information, and of our strongly held beliefs.

EDIT: Immediately down-voted twice within seconds of posting. Why not engage in discussion?

7 comments

4  libertee1776 2014-02-20

The pro-vaccine agendy really is beat into the heads of the masses, which is why you'll find more people for them instead of against them. I for one commend you for posting this.

4  Jack___Torrance 2014-02-20

Bring up the Merck whistleblower lawsuit next time you encounter one of the shills. They were caught red-handed faking the numbers about the effectiveness of their MMR vaccine. The best part is, the DoJ declined to step in and is just watching from the sidelines as the lawsuit plays out.

1  Person_McName 2014-02-20

There is still other data about this. For example, look at southern Alberta that recently had a measles outbreak (and in a shocking coincidence, all of the infected were unvaccinated)

7  [deleted] 2014-02-20

You mean the one from earlier this month where (according to this article) "measles victims were fully immunized?"

1  dragonboltz 2014-02-20

I agree, but I think people need to realize that much of the information they're getting from main stream sources are just as agenda driven, and propaganda filled as the anti-vaccine sources.

-3  Person_McName 2014-02-20

It depends on your source, If you use data from the CDC or affiliates, that's not an issue, but i'm not denying that there are some less then great sources out there.

0  Ambiguously_Ironic 2014-02-20

Vaccines are one of those topics you can't talk about around here without getting instant downvotes. You didn't know?