Comments on: More terrible Observer MMR coverage

By: Observer Gives a PoMo Clarification: Retract Already KIDS CHILDREN BABY

Observer Gives a PoMo Clarification: Retract Already KIDS CHILDREN BABY — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 12:24:02 +0000

[...] about the boring science/significance of the statistics. After all, according to Ben Goldacre, Holford Watch, Anthony Cox and Mike Stanton, they were only mostly wrong on most [...]

By: 1 in 58 Have Autism Redux: I Blame The Observer « Holford Watch: Patrick Holford, nutritionism and bad science

Sun, 06 Apr 2008 13:54:54 +0000

[...] MMR bad science: The Guardian, the BMJ, and Holford Watch in BMJ Rapid Responses More terrible Observer MMR coverage The Observer fails to correct or retract its glaringly obvious mistakes on MMR and autism. For the [...]

By: Shinga

Shinga — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 12:42:35 +0000

PV - say it isn't so. I have had too many illusions crushed recently, I'm not sure that I can cope with this complete lack of concern for accuracy by the Observer and Guardian.

By: pv

pv — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 10:18:18 +0000

What are the odds on the Observer folks being all of a sudden bored with their foray into the MMR scare industry, developing amnesia for it and moving right along to the next “concern” du jour? After all, they’ve covered it in depth, have they not, and alerted the public to what they ought to be worried about!

By: jonhw

jonhw — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 19:45:08 +0000

thanks for the suggestion, Brian – much appreciated. Sounds like a good idea, and I will pass it around.

Hopefully the Observer will have another full (virtual) mailbag next week. As you put it, we will see what they say to that.

By: Brian Deer

Brian Deer — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 19:05:08 +0000

My suggestion is that people should write to the Observer and suggest that, since there is still so much confusion about the duty of reporters, and what – on this matter of grave public interest, affecting the safety of children – are a newspaper’s reasonable duties to accuracy, the Observer should join with the complaining readers and refer the matter – jointly and with agreement – to the Press Complaints Commission for adjudication.

See what they say to that!

By: jonhw

jonhw — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 16:49:33 +0000

thanks Shinga and Mike. Likewise, I haven’t had any response (even an autoreply) from the e-mail I sent to correct Observer mistakes on MMR. Not terribly polite, aside from anything else.

Thanks Mike – great you had a post on this up so quickly. Will try to e-mail the letter’s editor, too (when else will I have an excuse to quote so many expletives in a letter to a broadsheet paper ;) ). Looking at the website today (refuse to buy the paper) am I right in thinking that they didn’t publish any letters on this autism/MMR mess today?

By: mike stanton

mike stanton — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 12:24:46 +0000

Hi
thanks for the link to my blog. As well as the Readers editor you should also write to the Letters editor if you want your letter considered for publication letters@observer.co.uk and include Letters to the Editor in the subject line.

By: Shinga

Shinga — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 11:53:18 +0000

It beggars belief. I am composing a letter to the Readers’ Editor – although, I am still waiting on a response to my latest complaint (with follow-up) to the Guardian, so perhaps I should not repose my hopes in that.