"Some parents compare last night's broadcast to Rather-gate, citing that Johnson, ABC's medical commentator, readily used an unreliable source: the CDC. CDC's 2000 study of thimerosal showed a link between the neurotoxin and autism, but was never released to the public. After the CDC informed Johnson there was no cover-up, Johnson took their comments as fact without proper investigation. [...] Although some media outlets white-wash the issue, many parents feel ABC went a step further by creating the piece solely to discredit Kennedy." -- NAA's press release
While I was unable to watch ABC's report on Robert F. Kennedy Jr's findings of the link between Thimerosal and autism (and of the CDC's cover-up of that link), I am not surprised that it seems like those who did watch it were once again fed the industry line: Of course putting a known neurotoxin into our children is completely safe because no studies have proven it to NOT be safe.
I guess we have to expect that ABC (who incidently ran ads by pharmaceutical companies right before and after the epidsode), as part and parcel to the mainstream media will vouch for the safety of mercury in vaccines. Who still believes that mainstream media is a BFZ -- bias-free zone?
Maybe, as it was with Rathergate, there will be a blogalanche that finally brings the truth to light?
Update: There is a lot of action going on at the The Huffington Post about this issue. The original post offers a stinging summary of ABC's negligent report, saying:
"Last week ABC cancelled a story about a dangerous chemical in child inoculations. Last night, the network broadcast a recut version of its original story that had been edited into a piece of industry propaganda."