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How fascinated are the networks by autism? Consider statistics for 2007. Autism (59 minutes on the three networks combined) attracted more coverage than any other single disease except for breast cancer (79 min): more than heart disease (57 min); more than tuberculosis--even though the Atlanta bridegroom Andrew Speaker singlehandedly attracted 58 minutes for flying while infected. HIV/AIDS in the entire year accumulated a mere 15 minutes of coverage.
ABC's John Donvan (embargoed link) stated that the Polings are "the first family ever to get its way in a lawsuit blaming autism on vaccines" while NBC's Pete Williams saw the settlement as "a breakthrough, the first federal payment involving a case of autism symptoms in childhood vaccines." CBS' Sharyl Attkisson disagreed. She called it "the first of its kind to become public" but claimed that nine other awards have been paid since 1990. And Donvan offered the caveat that the compensation would be "a huge victory if it is clear cut" but it is not. The fund denied that the vaccine caused the girl's autism. Instead it said she had a pre-existing condition that the shots aggravated "from which features of autism emerged."
Having spent all this time on this single case, CBS anchor Katie Couric had in-house physician Jon LaPook instruct parents not to worry about it. "There is no suggestion that vaccines cause autism," he asserted, citing the Centers for Disease Control. "Aside from clean water nothing has saved more lives than vaccines."
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