So far, Fox News has run a note indicating that its original version included erroneous reporting. The Daily Mail doesn’t seem to have responded, despite the fact that one of its competitors ran a story on its poor reporting.
It’s not just the climate that brings out this sort of insanity. A recent review in the journal Pediatrics examined the incidence of digestive problems in children with autism. It concluded that there was no clear evidence that these problems occur at higher rates among those with autism, and absolutely no evidence that dietary interventions help autistic children. What the authors did suggest is that autistics may have dietary issues at the same rate as the regular population, but have difficulty communicating them; therefore, changes to diet can significantly improve their behavior.
It’s a complicated message, which really requires a credible and authoritative source to convey. ABC News responded to that requirement by turning to actress Jenny McCarthy, who (predictably) complained that doctors weren’t “listening to our anecdotal evidence.” McCarthy has a long history of dismissing epidemiology, statistics, and all the other evidence-based tools we use to make public health decisions, so ABC News knew exactly what it was doing by giving her a podium. In essence, the message it sent was “we will intentionally undercut the best available science using a celebrity.” Calling that message irresponsible grossly understates the problem.
If a news organization had put words in the mouth of a political figure, there would almost certainly be a firestorm of controversy. The same would occur if one had turned to a Hollywood star or sports figure for comment on, say, a Congressional Budget Office report. When it comes to science, however, the response seems to be limited to a few outraged bloggers. It’s difficult not to think that there’s a double standard involved in the complete indifference to accuracy when it comes to scientific information.