Robert De Niro Pulls Anti-Vaccine Documentary From Tribeca Film Festival

[alp227]

Source: NY Times

Facing a storm of criticism over its plan to show a documentary about the widely debunked link between vaccines and autism, the Tribeca Film Festival on Saturday pulled the film from its schedule next month.

In a statement, Robert De Niro, a founder of the festival, wrote: “My intent in screening this film was to provide an opportunity for conversation around an issue that is deeply personal to me and my family. But after reviewing it over the past few days with the Tribeca Film Festival team and others from the scientific community, we do not believe it contributes to or furthers the discussion I had hoped for.”

The film, “Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe,” was directed and co-written by Andrew Wakefield, the author of a study that was published in the British medical journal The Lancet and then retracted in 2010. Mr. Wakefield’s medical license was also revoked over his failure to disclose financial conflicts of interest and ethics violations.

Information about the film no longer appears on the festival’s website, but on Friday, the site, tribecafilm.com, did not mention Mr. Wakefield’s revoked license or the 2010 retraction, saying instead that the study “would catapult Wakefield into becoming one of the most controversial figures in the history of medicine.” And on Twitter, Mr. Wakefield described the film as a “whistle-blower documentary.”

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/27/movies/robert-de-niro-pulls-anti-vaccine-documentary-from-tribeca-film-festival.html

[forest444]

1. "Nice film festival you've got there, Bobby."

"Wouldn't want anything to happen to it, now would you."

[Orrex]

2. No mention of the other two films he pulled?

What about The Earth Is Flat and Jesus Rode a Dinosaur?

What's De Niro trying to hide?

[juxtaposed]

3. Lol!! what does polio mean, it's been so long.

[proverbialwisdom]

13. The film's key content cannot be countered just by ridicule or with blog posts by Snopes or skeptics

http://morganverkamp.com/

Representing whistleblowers coast-to-coast for 20 years

http://morganverkamp.com/statement-of-william-w-thompson-ph-d-regarding-the-2004-article-examining-the-possibility-of-a-relationship-between-mmr-vaccine-and-autism/

August 27, 2014/in Press /

[center]Statement of William W. Thompson, Ph.D., Regarding
the 2004 Article Examining the Possibility of a
Relationship Between MMR Vaccine and Autism[/center]
My name is William Thompson. I am a Senior Scientist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where I have worked since 1998.

I regret that my coauthors and I omitted statistically significant information in our 2004 article published in the journal Pediatrics. The omitted data suggested that African American males who received the MMR vaccine before age 36 months were at increased risk for autism. Decisions were made regarding which findings to report after the data were collected, and I believe that the final study protocol was not followed.

I want to be absolutely clear that I believe vaccines have saved and continue to save countless lives. I would never suggest that any parent avoid vaccinating children of any race. Vaccines prevent serious diseases, and the risks associated with their administration are vastly outweighed by their individual and societal benefits.

My concern has been the decision to omit relevant findings in a particular study for a particular sub­ group for a particular vaccine. There have always been recognized risks for vaccination and I believe it is the responsibility of the CDC to properly convey the risks associated with receipt of those vaccines.

I have had many discussions with Dr. Brian Hooker over the last 10 months regarding studies the CDC has carried out regarding vaccines and neurodevelopmental outcomes including autism spectrum disorders. I share his beliefthat CDC decision-making and analyses should be transparent. I was not, however, aware that he was recording any of our conversations, nor was I given any choice regarding whether my name would be made public or my voice would be put on the Internet.

I am grateful for the many supportive e-mails that I have received over the last several days.

I will not be answering further questions at this time. I am providing information to Congressman William Posey, and of course will continue to cooperate with Congress. I have also offered to assist with reanalysis of the study data or development of further studies. For the time being, however, I am focused on my job and my family.

Reasonable scientists can and do differ in their interpretation of information. I will do everything I can to assist any unbiased and objective scientists inside or outside the CDC to analyze data collected by the CDC or other public organizations for the purpose of understanding whether vaccines are associated with an increased risk of autism. There are still more questions than answers, and I appreciate that so many families are looking for answers from the scientific community.

My colleagues and supervisors at the CDC have been entirely professional since this matter became public. In fact, I received a performance-based award after this story came out. I have experienced no pressure or retaliation and certainly was not escorted from the building, as some have stated.

Dr. Thompson is represented by Frederick M. Morgan,Jr., Morgan Verkamp, LLC, Cincinnati, Ohio, http://morganverkamp.com/ .

Clearly, a government agency tasked with both regulating and promoting the same products might face conflict of interest issues; additionally, government self-investigation and self-exoneration without transparency remains problematic. MORE TRANSPARENCY, NOT LESS.

See it, rip it or reconsider.

[HuckleB]

4. "An opportunity for conversation."

Baloney, Bobby. You weren't screening any pro-science films, and you weren't having any pro-science panelists. You were hoping to push bad propaganda. You got caught.

[redruddyred]

15. bad science is not considering all the alternatives

i've been sick for nearly a decade and hundreds of thousands across the country seem to be sick in the exact same way.

the best the cdc can come up with is "mass hysteria". meanwhile, even though there are treatments which could help me, i'm wasting my 20s in bed.

have you personally looked thru the data yourself? or are you relying on the "appeal to authority" fallacy?

disclaimer: i don't have a position on this: it doesn't effect me. but i've seen firsthand just how badly cdc and nih can coverup and ignore major epidemics (the band played on anyone?? oslers web??) so i won't rule anything out. all i will say is, "I sure hope this is conspiracy theory".

[HuckleB]

16. All the alternatives have been considered.

There are no hundreds of thousands, but the anti-vaccine lies are aimed at creating mass hysteria.

[redruddyred]

17. oh the h-word

and its long history of Keeping Women Down

thanks for your long and informative post, i can see you've really done your research. i understand that Vaccines R Gud now

[HuckleB]

18. This isn't about "Keeping Women Down."

It's about keeping people from getting sick in the numerous ways they used to get sick, become disabled, or die. Vaccines save lives.

Sheesh. I'm sorry that you apparently want to believe things that are not true, but please stop working to harm others by promoting anti-vaccine myths.

[redruddyred]

19. you can't even read my posts

why should i assume you can read anything else now

[HuckleB]

20. And you go to the silly pages.

[redruddyred]

24. "silly pages"

sounds like a reference to a nearlydefunct form of media
watch out for the alzheimers bro

[truthisfreedom]

5. Smart move if you ask me.

[cstanleytech]

6. No, a smart move would have been not trying to even show a film in the first place

that claims something to be true when the science doesnt support it.

[Baobab]

7. This explains it, scientifically

http://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.0050035

[redruddyred]

9. i thought thimerosol was okay

pardon me if i misunderstand but i'm p sure the anti-vaxxer's point is that sometimes there's other shit in the vaccines which can make you sick. "attenuated" viruses are some of these but most of the focus is on fungal contaminants.

this isn't anti-thimerosol but in fact the opposite.

[HuckleB]

21. Well...

https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/toxic-myths-about-vaccines/

[redruddyred]

22. your article says "thimerosol is okay"

are we agreeing?

[HuckleB]

23. Yes, it does.

It also says the other ingredients are ok, too.

And they are...

[redruddyred]

25. that's not my argument

this is such a troll line but, dude, READ BETTER.

the problem, as i understand it, is that every now and again vaccines are contaminated by molds, or other immunsuppressive agents which can in turn encourage an otherwise "safe" attenuated virus dose to become live and active in the recipient. so thimerosol, and other additives whose purpose it is to kill potentially dangerous contaminants, are good. i also understand its a mercury-based compound, so maybe not supergood and maybe other things could be more good.

my view on the subject is "if kids are getting really sick upon exposure to vaccines, don't rule the vaccines out". i'm not sold that it's the vaccines which are the problem. but i get annoyed when people say "this person with this unpopular view can't have a place at x film festival". it seems like suppressing debate. i'm not an antivaxxer, but i think they should have their say, like everyone else.

[HuckleB]

27. Vaccines are being taken care of in most places, so your silliness is noted.

You keep pretending that you're not just pushing the usual anti-vax routines, but you keep pushing the usual anti-vax routines.

Hmm....

[redruddyred]

28. thanks for your substantive response

it's good to know that i'm talking with someone well enough grounded in the science that can debate the finer points. i appreciate your insights.

[HuckleB]

36. There is no debate.

[redruddyred]

41. thanks for clearing that up for me nt

[HuckleB]

42. No problem.

[EllieBC]

8. Wakefield still going strong? He can be thanked for the

outbreaks of measles and whooping cough.

[groundloop]

10. there is no "opportunity for discussion" when one side is totally false

Not to mention the fact that the person behind this film had his medical license revoked and had severe ethical issues. It was the proper decision to pull this film, and one has to wonder why it was even considered to be shown in the first place.

[msanthrope]

11. Well, Bobby...your anti-science Autism Speaks propaganda advocacy

Just came back to bite you on the ass.

[duplex]

12. Good

People that refuse to vaccinate their kids should be treated no differently than the "Christian Scientists" who try to pray away cancer in their children and get prosecuted for it. Both camps are injuring innocent children and should be treated identically.

[proverbialwisdom]

14. Updates.

http://variety.com/2016/film/news/vaxxed-anti-vaccine-documentary-cinema-libre-1201741603/
http://cinemalibrestudio.com/clsblog/2016/03/29/vaxxed-premieres-april-1-at-angelika-nyc/
https://www.angelikafilmcenter.com/nyc/film/vaxxed-from-cover-up-to-catastrophe

[askarnia1]

26. debunked science

was the scientist that this was based off of really debunked?

[Humanist_Activist]

29. He lost his license because he falsified the results of the study he had published.

So he was more than debunked, he was and is a fraud.

[askarnia1]

30. good to know thanks!

[NickB79]

31. The poor thing had to move to Texas, being so shunned in England by the medical community

Oh the humanity!

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/24/magazine/mag-24Autism-t.html?_r=0

[proverbialwisdom]

32. VIDEO: Robert DeNiro on The Today Show earlier.

http://www.today.com/video/robert-de-niro-on-anti-vaccine-film-controversy-let-s-find-out-the-truth-665031235642

April 13th, 2016

The Tribeca Film Festival now is celebrating its 15th year and founders, actor Robert De Niro and producer Jane Rosenthal mark the occasion with an interview on TODAY. De Niro, who has an autistic child, comments on the decision to pull the anti-vaccination film “Vaxxed” from this year’s lineup, even though he says, “I think the movie is something that people should see,” and he questions statistics on vaccine-preventable diseases.

VIDEO (Silver Springs International Festival in Ocala, Florida): https://www.facebook.com/thinkingmomsrevolution/posts/863616240415084

[alp227]

33. Good grief, the freakin' Today show promoting junk science?

Then again, breakfast television was never known for journalistic standards.

[proverbialwisdom]

34. Have you seen the film? Why don't you see the film, then hoist whomever by their own petard!

http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-86530555/

Controversial vaccination documentary 'Vaxxed' comes to the L.A. area Friday

BY TRE'VELL ANDERSON
April 13, 2016, 4:59 a.m.

After being dropped from premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival, the controversial vaccination documentary "Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe” is coming to the Los Angeles area. The picture from Andrew Wakefield will open Friday at Santa Monica's Laemmle Monica Film Center and Pasadena's Laemmle Playhouse 7. ( http://www.laemmle.com/films/index/40659/2016-04-15 )

<>

In response, distributors Cinema Libre Studio released a statement defending Wakefield and his film.

"The media storm over the last few weeks shows how the hyper mediatization of all issues works, with the mainstream media condemning a film they never even saw and its director, Dr. Wakefield, for claims which have been answered for years and rebuked," said Chairman Philippe Diaz. "The movie is not anti-vaccine and neither is Dr. Wakefield. But unfortunately we live in a time where scandal is valued more than the truth. That is what this film is fighting for: the right to know!"

Richard Castro, the studio's head of distribution added: "The film is not anti-vaccine but rather advocates for the use of the single measles, single mumps and single rubella vaccines instead of the MMR triple vaccine, which has been linked to autism by the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] study which is at the heart of this film."

The WorldFest-Houston Film Festival also dropped the film from its lineup after the city's mayor threatened to pull funding for the event.

<>

[EllieBC]

35. Linked by a study debunked and disowned by the Lancet.

Wakefield made out ok though after benefiting from the money made by the anti-vax lawyers.

It's always shocking to see those on the left embrace this shit. You they are the left's version of creationists and climate change deniers.

[proverbialwisdom]

38. Do some more reading. Developing...

Last edited Wed Apr 13, 2016, 10:15 PM - Edit history (2)

Here's a book by David Lewis you ought to read: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/science-for-sale-david-l-lewis-phd/1117301377
Start with the B&N Overview.

Guess what? The book's intro was written by the hero of the Flint water crisis (Marc Edwards):

1) http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/02/03/professor-who-exposed-flint-crisis-says-greed-has-killed-public-science
2) http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/flint-and-the-long-struggle-against-lead-poisoning
3) http://chronicle.com/article/The-Water-Next-Time-Professor/235136
4) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/04/AR2010120400223.html

Sadly, Edwards fought the CDC for years, too. It's shocking to read.

[EllieBC]

39. Being correct on one thing doesn't make him correct on everything.

It's sad he's like a creationist when it comes to vaccines.

[alp227]

40. Why should I watch a film that promotes repeatedly debunked garbage?

Might as well recommend Loose Change, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, or Dreams from My Real Father while you're at it.

[HuckleB]

37. It may be breakfast TV, but it's still appalling.

[TexasBushwhacker]

43. De Niro was 51 when his autistic son was born

Perhaps he should do a documentary on the increase of autism in the children of older fathers.

https://shar.es/1jjnNK

"When compared to a child born to a 24-year-old father, a child born to a 45-year-old father was 3.5 times more likely to have autism, 13 times more likely to have ADHD and 25 times more likely to have bipolar disorder."

[proverbialwisdom]

44. Posted 5 hours ago - RECOMMENDED.

VIDEO (42,177 Views): https://www.facebook.com/thinkingmomsrevolution/posts/866378590138849

Additionally,

https://twitter.com/JayGordonMDFAAP/status/720857124280999937

Jay Gordon, MD, FAAP @JayGordonMDFAAP - April 15

We saw "Vaxxed" tonight. It's an excellent movie and you should see it. Happy to discuss it with you, but not until you've seen it.

[proverbialwisdom]

46. Update.

Via Facebook, Lance Simmens, April 19, 2016

“To All Following @lancesimmens or @vaxxedthemovie:

I received an email from Arianna Huffington earlier today and my HuffPo account has been reinstated. Small victory. In reply I asked that she personally reconsider republishing my article Why Our Kids Will Hate Us as it merely asks for public escalation of the allegations of corruption in CDC in the documentary Vaxxed. The piece does not represent conspiracy theory, does not contain inaccurate medical information, and is not part of a widely known hoax as purported to be the guiding principles that determined the fate of my previous post. To not allow this freedom of expression to look into an issue does not represent the best of investigative journalism and should not be tolerated. People should be encouraged to see the documentary and judge for themselves just as they ought to be able to read my article and judge for themselves. There ought to be a national discussion of the issue.”

[Dont call me Shirley]

47. Thom Hartmann had both Dr Wakefield and Del Bigtree on his radio show today. Interesting.

[Archae]

48. "Interesting..."

Like having Eric Von Daniken on about archaeology, or "Miss Cleo" on about giving advice on topics like love.

[Dont call me Shirley]

49. Whatevs!