Brian Deer, a British investigative journalist, spoke to Ryerson students about the transformation of media and the challenges of his work.
He is known for exposing the sham research that linked the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine to autism. Brian Deer spent seven years investigating research that linked MMR vaccine with autism. The report was originally published in 1998 in the British medical journal the Lancet. In a series of articles for The Sunday Times of London and in a British Channel 4 documentary, he found the research’s key finding as a sham. His investigation ultimately resulted in the British Medical Journal denouncing the research as fraudulent in January 2011.
Importantly, he also talked about the transformation of the media since he started reporting.
Deer remembers the newsroom as being noisy with the type writer clanging, phones ringing, and people talking and screaming when he just started reporting.
However, the newsrooms today are too quiet. Journalists can do their research online rather than travel cross country to get their information.
But it is the new generation of websites and blogs that worries him.
He says that people can easily be misled by professional looking websites with fabricated statistics created by people he calls “Drunk Buffoons.”
These drunkard buffoons are causing fears about vaccines and others are continuously blogging about it.
“They [people]are able to be directed to these drunk buffoons’ [websites],” Deer said. “And are paddling their ideas.”
And those who expose the websites as having false information are abused.
“I have been abused numerous times.” Deer said.
Deer won the Specialist Reporter of the Year at the British Press Award for his investigations.
He says,” It was one of the most transforming times of my life.”
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