Deer speaking At Ryerson University. Taken by Adnan Mohamed
Brian Deer, a British investigative journalist, was speaking as a guest on Wednesday at the Ryerson University School of Journalism. Deer is acknowledged for his investigation into the MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella) vaccine and its link with autism in young children.
With a series of stories over seven years, Deer’s investigation into this link caused a great deal of controversy, and pitted him against Dr. Andrew Wakefield, who was adamant that there was a causative connection between the MMR vaccine, autism and autistic enterocolitis. Wakefield’s study in The Lancet was based on just 12 children allegedly suffering from autism-like disorders and claimed to find a link between the vaccine, the gastrointestinal problems found in many autistic children, and autism.
He was subsequently accused of false research and Deer launched an investigation looking into this supposed link with the vaccine. According to Deer’s website, He discovered that, far from being based on any findings, the public alarm had no scientific basis whatsoever.
Deer also unearthed some crucial information against Wakefield, which proved a turning point in the ongoing legal battle that involved accusations of libel on Deer’s part. He discovered that Wakefield had received payments with money from the UK legal aid fund: pressed under the freedom of information act, said was £435,643 (about $ 691,202 CAD), plus expenses.
This particular revelation led to Wakefield and his legal team settling the case with Deer and dropping the libel charges. Wakefield’s fall from grace was complete when, On 17 February, Wakefield was expelled by the directors of his Texas business, and on 24 May 2010 his name was ordered to be erased from the UK medical register, revoking his license to practice. On 21 December 2010, the erasure was confirmed after Wakefield failed to appeal the decision.
EyeNoBest 