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Being drawn in by fakers

Last week, I promised a further examination of an item being shared on social media that finally broke my determination to ignore the proliferation of “fake” or at least intentionally misleading “news.” The agenda-fueled media outlets that produce this stuff depend on social media formulas to determine what you might be interested in seeing, making sure you see more of it, and if you actually click on or share an item, the cycle feeding upon itself until your perspective is absurdly narrowed. There is no attempt at objectivity or fact-checking.

Here was the headline on that item shared by “March Against Monsanto,” and then many others: “BREAKING: Yale University Study Establishes Link Between Major Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Childhood Vaccinations.” It was accompanied by photos of a drowsy-eyed baby who appeared to be receiving an injection. The implication: If you allow your child to get shots, it will make them dull. A cursory look at the picture shows there is no needle in the syringe, and the poor kid is just very ready for a nap.

It is the same clipart this website has been using to accompany any story about vaccines for years. The website is althealthworks.com — yes, alternative health. It was founded by a gentleman who says his mission is to tell “the many incredible stories of the growing holistic and natural health community.”

His main contributor seems to be Yelena Sukhoterina, the author of the aforementioned item, whose earlier contributions include: “‘None of the 20 Mammograms Caught My Disease…’ Popular Breast Cancer Screening Method is Dangerous and Ineffective. THIS Proven and Safe Method Can Save Thousands of Lives;” “This Man Re-Grew His Finger Using “Pixie Dust” and It Is Only the Beginning;” you get the idea.

But let’s take another look at the item that caught my attention. Counting on readers to absorb only the headline and the photo of the drowsy-eyed baby — and throwing Yale in there for credibility, the author claims the majority of Americans are burdened by chronic illness, and uses words like “sadly” and “eye-opening,” which should instantly tell readers they are not dealing with news. It is not until the 13th graf that the study, which, the author is forced to mention was led by the Department of Public Health Science at the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine AND Yale, comes into play.

Before that is a list of conditions including unnamed “debilitating mental disorders” and “some kind of emotional problem” the author says have POTENTIAL contributing factors “including environmental ones, food dyes in much of what children eat, unbalanced diets, GMOs and pesticide-laden foods, to name a few,” without citing the source for such a conclusion. Left out of the reporting are important points: Are the statistics cited any different from children and young adults in other eras? There is no time element or comparison. And, what about factors that don’t fit so nicely into the althealthworks agenda? Could changes in parenting style, increased screen time, lack of physical activity and an evolving socio/political atmosphere have anything to do with emotional and mental changes for kids?

Much later in the item — past where most social media scrollers have long-stopped reading — the author quotes the study “These findings provide PRELIMINARY epidemiologic evidence that the onset of SOME pediatric-onset neuropsychiatric disorders, including AN, OCD, anxiety disorders, and tic disorders, MAY be TEMPORALLY related to prior vaccinations.” The emphasis is mine. So, Penn State and Yale say in very early studies, there is a possibility that some conditions appear in relation to earlier vaccinations for a limited time.

Buried deep in the story was this line, “In the end, the study concluded that more research needs to be done.”

But no one is going to click on or share an item with the headline “Penn State/Yale study concludes more research needed on vaccines.”

This is probably why I have stayed away from the topic. My training, and the standards we work toward every day in the newsroom mean I can spot this stuff from a mile away. But you can, too. It takes only the slightest attitude shift — a little bit of critical thinking and a few questions. Don’t let your thoughts be led; look for ways to make your thoughts informed.

The Parkersburg News and Sentinel and plenty of other news outlets still working to do things the right way are an excellent place to start.

Christina Myer is executive editor of The Parkersburg News and Sentinel. She can be reached via e-mail at cmyer@newsandsentinel.com

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