Provide names of other journalists involved.
Edited by Jennifer Rainey Marquez, photos by Richard Foulser, illustrations by The Heads of State.
List date(s) this work was published or aired.
7-Oct-12
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
The piece explained why vaccine uptake rates have been falling in many communities around the country and found that the consequences of parents choosing not to have their children vaccinated are much more serious than most people think.
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
There was extensive reporting done using state, federal, and private databases to obtain reliable figures for vaccine uptake rates, vaccine exemption rates, and both incidence rates and total case numbers of vaccine-preventable infectious diseases. In all, over 100 pages of primary source material were used.
Explain types of human sources used.
Close to two-dozen interviews were conducted for the piece. Primary among them was a series of interviews with a mother whose infant daughter was infected with Hib meningitis despite having been vaccinated against the disease. I also spoke with doctors who refuse to admit patients who don’t vaccinate and doctors who believe there should be more latitude in vaccine recommendations; public health experts, risk analysts, behavioral psychologists, and vaccine skeptics; and federal, state, and local health employees.
Results:
The vaccine debate is one that has been marked by extreme misinformation. Part of the reason for that is that the media has not done an adequate job explaining the issue in clear, concise language that a layperson can understand. I viewed Parade as an unparalleled opportunity to reach an extremely broad audience, and my goal was to craft an engaging, straightforward, easy-to-understand narrative that could change the parameters of the discussion. I believe I achieved that, and have heard from numerous parents who read the piece and told me they felt that, for the first time, they understood the issues at hand and the consequences of their actions.
Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
No.
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
There are two, seemingly contradictory qualities that journalists writing about controversial health topics need to have. 1. They can’t close themselves off to a particular viewpoint. 2. They need to have the courage to state bluntly and without equivocation what their conclusions are. The vaccine “controversy” is one that was created and fueled by the media under the guise of being fair to “both sides.” Journalists working on similar projects should make sure they’ve fully explored all sides of the question at hand and present the facts of the matter without unnecessary qualifications.