WIN found guilty of broadcasting measles scare story – but refuses to do on air correction
WIN Television has been found guilty of broadcasting misleading information about measles vaccinations by industry watchdog the Australian Communications and Media Authority – and has refused to broadcast a correction.
ACMA found that WIN News Illawarra was guilty of two breaches of the commercial TV code of practice in its reporting of a measles outbreak. According to ACMA:
“The report was broadcast on 16 August 2012 and concerned an outbreak of measles in south-western Sydney.
“Included in the story was the following unqualified statement made by a non-expert: ‘All vaccinations, in the medical literature, have been linked with the possibility of causing autism…’
“The Australian Communications and Media Authority found that by broadcasting that statement and by conveying a higher level of controversy and uncertainty about immunisation than was justified by the facts, WIN TV had failed to broadcast factual material accurately.”
The issue of a link between autism and vaccinations – viewed as a myth by the medical establishment – sprang into life after medical journal The Lancet published a research paper in 1998. The publication has since retracted the report after it emerged that the author had conflicts of interest and had manipulated data. He was struck off the British medical register as a result of the fraud. The report – labelled “the most damaging medical hoax of the last 100 years” led to vaccination rates around the world dropping sharply, leading to many more deaths from mumps and measles.
Despite that, fringe groups have continued to claim a link.
‘The story would have misled an ordinary viewer about the level of risk of vaccinating children,’ said ACMA chairman, Chris Chapman of the WIN report.
According to ACMA finding: “The ACMA also found that WIN TV did not make reasonable efforts to correct the significant error of fact.”
However, Chapman said despite the failings, ACMA has been unable to persuade WIN to broadcast on on air correction.
Chapman said: ‘While the ACMA has no power to direct the making of an on-air corrective statement, given the circumstances of this case and the important public health issues involved, the ACMA recommended to WIN TV that it make an on-air statement concerning the ACMA’s findings.”
ACMA revealed: “The licensee has, however, declined to take this opportunity to clarify on air this important public health issue, one which no doubt remains of ongoing concern to its audience and the wider Australian public. The licensee offered to provide a link on its website to the ACMA’s finding.”
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
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I was one of the complainants. I believe that WIN owe an apology to their audience. After all, if an ordinary person were to believe what they broadcast, they could decide not to vaccinate their children, with devastating results. The broadcast was grossly irresponsible.
WIN also owe me an apology for so flippantly rejecting my complaint, and I shall be demanding one.
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ACMA – a waste of oxygen. Media outlet once again tells it to get stuffed.
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The ACMA cannot currently require broadcasters to make on-air (or any other) statements, where the ACMA finds that the broadcaster has breached a broadcasting code.
However, on 14 March 2013 a Joint Select Committee was established by parliament to inquire and report on potential reforms to Australia’s broadcasting legislation, including ‘on-air’ reporting of ACMA findings regarding Broadcasting regulation breaches’.
We await the Committee’s findings.
Chris Chapman, Chairman Australian Communications and Media Authority
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What is the point of these government authorities that have no teeth? The TGA is the same – it investigates, it finds against false health claims, issues a directive, gets ignored then does nothing – and the charlatans laugh all the way to the bank. What a monstrously pointless waste of time, effort and money.
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more of the media need to take responsability of what they cover and do the right thing for the people. unfortunately nowadays mass media has flooded our lives with propaganda and supressed information and is actually relevant and the truth. this is going on all over the world. to the detrement of society. to vaccine or not to vaccine is a personell choice. but before doing or not doing i would be researching everything about the issue. we get ridiculed thesedays if we come out and challenge the norm. all i know is that in the last 60 years there has been an increase of disease, war, crime, famine and so on. its about time we start asking the government serious questions. who sets the guidelines for what the media broadcasts because unfortunately they are knowingly or unknowingly pushing forward and agenda. i know this sounds outrageous but im sick of all the lies were being told and to lift the vast veil of deceipt. i dont normally write on any thing like this and im not aiming this at anybody. i am just frustrated with how messed up the world is and everybody is still asleep.
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