On August 9, 2013 we learned that “spinmasters” from Gray Media Group (clients: Pfizer, phRMA) emailed a “seed story” to several Vermont News Outlets signed by a representative for Gray Media. A full list of Gray Media’s Clients can be found here.
Gray Media worked recently with Pfizer to launch a campaign which, according to their own promotion, was to, “encourage productive conversation and actions around aging and living better.” Dr. Freda Lewis-Hall, Chief Medical Officer for Pfizer is quoted in their PR saying that, “the good news is that there is a lot we can do to protect and enhance our quality of life as we age, simply by committing today to healthy behaviors that help prevent or delay chronic disease.” A closer look demonstrates that the site relentlessly promotes vaccinations . Vaccines are not FDA approved to prevent or delay chronic diseases; in fact, evidence is building that implicates vaccines as a trigger for chronic disease.
Update: The Vermont Health Department was active in 2012 alongside Pfizer and Pediatricians in running a bill that attempted to remove our parental rights to decline vaccines for our children on moral or religious grounds. Because of this, we asked the Health Department if they had any knowledge or connection with Gray Media company. In a statement dated September 5th, 2013, Tracy Dolan (Deputy Commissioner of Health) responded as follows:
“I will talk to folks here and get you a complete response to the issues you raise in your letter. I can tell you briefly that I checked with our programs and business office and can confirm that we do not have a contract or any agreement Gray Media Group. We do have some media vendors for various public health messages and materials but this group is not among them, in fact, our communications office hadn’t heard of them before.”
The following media outlets took the bait, with only VTDigger calling us for comment.
- WCAX: See: http://www.wcax.com/story/23096863/cdc-report-vt-lags-in-immunizations.
- VTDigger: See http://vtdigger.org/2013/08/11/vermont-ranks-high-on-list-of-non-medical-immunization-exemptions/. *The following are examples of incorrect information that Ms. Stella refers to in the VTDigger article:
– Death from chicken pox actually from a hospital acquired infection (link)
– VT doctors claim (incorrectly) that mercury has been removed from vaccines (link)
In the WCAX article, Note the focus that Ms. Finley makes on the “90%” rates that have been met in our young children. And what shall the government do if more Vermonters start to reject the policy? Let us not forget that bills were introduced last year that would grant power to the health commissioner to remove our right to decline should the vaccination rate drop below 90%.
