Huff Post removes a contributor's column about VAXXED, Tribeca pulled docu

[XXL]

Huffington Post goes all-in for pro-vaccine propaganda, BANISHES veteran writer from website for posting honest review of VAXXED documentary

http://www.naturalnews.com/053718_Huffington_Post_VAXXED_documentary_heavy_handed_censorship.html

It should be abundantly clear to anyone who is being honest with themselves that the mainstream media, which is mostly Left-wing, will stop at nothing to ridicule or silence those with whom it disagrees.

The legacy media has its own narratives and storylines, it's own political agenda, and anyone who colors outside of those narrow (minded) lines must be silenced at the very least, and outright destroyed if possible.

That has been the case with global warming skeptics and climate change "deniers" who, using available scientific data and the climate change pushers' own failed predictions about the end of the world to disprove that SUVs, smokestacks, fire-burning homes and underarm deodorant sprays are destroying the planet.

It is also the case with anyone who dares to question one of the mainstream media's sugar daddies – Big Pharma – when it comes to the dangers of vaccines.

Case in point: As reported by Celia Farber, founder and editor of The Truth Barrier website, an author who is a whistleblower, political and fracking activist, Lance Simmens, went to see VAXXED: From Cover-up to Catastrophe, at a screening in California recently. After watching the documentary, which details an admission by CDC scientist and whistleblower Dr. William Thompson who helped cover up an established link between vaccines and autism, was moved – and enraged – by what he had seen.

"Compelled" to write about the film

So much so that he wrote a column about it for The Huffington Post, a noted Left-wing news site where he has been a contributor for eight years, writing nearly 200 pieces. While the story went online as per normal procedure, it didn't stay very long. And what's more, Farber explains, Simmens' account was blocked.

In an interview with Farber, Simmens gave some insight into what happened and why.

"I am a political writer and have written articles over the years about events as they unfold, which is the nice feature of blogging," he began, explaining his role at the news site. "I have a decidedly liberal bent to my politics but have striven to write thoughtful, provocative pieces that try to define a rationale and logic to the policy prescriptions being offered."

He went on to explain that, after seeing VAXXED, he was "compelled" to write a piece that urged at least a "serious national dialogue" on the allegations contained in the film, which of course also features a number of experts and other research. He said in the column he also drew attention to a number of other cases where the government appeared to have failed in its central role of protecting the safety and welfare of the American people.

"This is seriously troubling"

Continuing, he explained what had happened after he contributed his piece:

I sent it to Huffington Post as I normally do–I have an account there–and they published the article. About a half hour later as I was sending it out to my network I was alerted by some folks that when they went to access it it was not coming up. It turns out that they pulled down the original piece and when I tried to rewrite it I was alerted that permission was denied to my account. I have made at least a half dozen attempts to reach someone at HuffPo to alert them that there was a malfunction and over the course of the last two days have not received one response. I even went so far as to email Arianna herself.

It never crossed my mind that this might be some sort of censorship because it has never happened to me and the article, while provocative, is not beyond any bounds of journalistic or political propriety. ... This is seriously troubling.

[Guest Mauro]

Anti-vaxxers are loons.

[Skin]

Anti-vaxxers are loons.

Yeah. I don't buy into the anti vaxx group and their paranoia either.

Seems dangerous to even put those kinds of ideas out there.

[Roland Barthes]

Garbage.

First saying that all the media are left wing is a joke. If that was the reason why then they'd be anti vaccine because laboratories are money hungry machines.

Second these loons thanks to their stupidity have permited old diseases like the plague to make a comeback. They are dangerous to others. If they don't want their children or themselves to be vaccinated it's their right but they should also accept to live in quarantine far from us.

I see those notoriously stupid people like Jenny MacCarthy (why is she still around ? ) making statesments like they are Pasteur or Marie Curie. You're a dumb bimbo getting older. I understand that having an autistic child is hard and you must be wondering why but it's no reason to point as fact things that are endangering to all of us. Go to a shrink to erase the guilt.

[Guest Rocco Papa]

Regardless of whether you agree with his opinion or not, it was wrong for The Huffington Post to remove his article. That's his opinion and in America, we have the right to express our opinions regardless of who disagrees with them.

[Skin]

Regardless of whether you agree with his opinion or not, it was wrong for The Huffington Post to remove his article. That's his opinion and in America, we have the right to express our opinions regardless of who disagrees with them.

But its a two way street. The Huffington Post and whoever is making the final calls over there has their own right to say what they want and don't want on their site. This man is free to post his article on a page of his own if he likes. Like I said I personally think these anti vaxx articles are dangerous and are only dumbing people down, but I also feel that way about a lot of the shit on the internet.

[Guest Rocco Papa]

But its a two way street. The Huffington Post and whoever is making the final calls over there has their own right to say what they want and don't want on their site. This man is free to post his article on a page of his own if he likes. Like I said I personally think these anti vaxx articles are dangerous and are only dumbing people down, but I also feel that way about a lot of the shit on the internet.

I still feel it's wrong for a publication to say, "We would love to give you a platform to voice your opinion... ...but only if we agree with it."

Not only that, but now his account has been blocked? All because of his opinion? Did he write something hateful? Violent? Threatening? I mean, seriously.

But I can't say that any of this surprises me.

[Guest]

I can see why the Huff Post pulled the article. Public confidence is crucial and anti-vaxxers are dangerous. They spread irrational fear and unsubstantiated claims. As a result, more people (stupid people) will buy into these false claims, choose to not vaccinate their children and compromise the herd immunity. Then leaving the majority of the population at risk of treatable infectious diseases. The return of measles is an example.

[VogueMusic]

This whole "the majority of mainstream media is left-wing" is actually not true. Been debunked.

[Skin]

I can see why the Huff Post pulled the article. Public confidence is crucial and anti-vaxxers are dangerous. They spread irrational fear and unsubstantiated claims. As a result, more people (stupid people) will buy into these false claims, choose to not vaccinate their children and compromise the herd immunity. Then leaving the majority of the population at risk of treatable infectious diseases. The return of measles is an example.

Bingo.

[Starman]

This is such a first world problem

Most of the countries ( including where i live) the access to vaccines is limited and the poor people suffers a lot from the lack of it , yet you have americans that dont want to vaccine their kids because of televisions personalities

[Martin B.]

Anti-vaxxers are loons.

Yes, and dangerous.

[Guest Rachelle of London]

This is such a first world problem

Most of the countries ( including where i live) the access to vaccines is limited and the poor people suffers a lot from the lack of it , yet you have americans that dont want to vaccine their kids because of televisions personalities

Such a first world problem. Vaccinate your kids if you want to and if you don't want to don't vaccinate them. There doesn't need to be such a huge ordeal. It's the same as abortion. Always blown up to be bigger than it is.

There are poor people that don't even have a bloody choice.

[jacket]

I can see why the Huff Post pulled the article. Public confidence is crucial and anti-vaxxers are dangerous. They spread irrational fear and unsubstantiated claims. As a result, more people (stupid people) will buy into these false claims, choose to not vaccinate their children and compromise the herd immunity. Then leaving the majority of the population at risk of treatable infectious diseases. The return of measles is an example.

Spot on.

We're at the point now that letting anti-vac and climate denialist/skeptics access to influential media platforms to spruik their debunked arguments is akin to giving space to segregationists and pro abstinence loons.

[Jazzy Jan]

Spot on.

We're at the point now that letting anti-vac and climate denialist/skeptics access to influential media platforms to spruik their debunked arguments is akin to letting segregationists and pro abstinence loons public soapboxes.

+ 1

[Guest Mauro]

Such a first world problem. Vaccinate your kids if you want to and if you don't want to don't vaccinate them. There doesn't need to be such a huge ordeal.It's the same as abortion. Always blown up to be bigger than it is.

There are poor people that don't even have a bloody choice.

Children dying from preventable diseases ought to be a huge ordeal. Parents shouldn't be given the choice. Children need protection. They're dependent.

[Roland Barthes]

Regardless of whether you agree with his opinion or not, it was wrong for The Huffington Post to remove his article. That's his opinion and in America, we have the right to express our opinions regardless of who disagrees with them.

This has nothing to do with freedom of speech. The HuffPost is a private plateform not a public service one. That's an editor job to chose what he or she wants on the plateform.

I understand that you want to work as a journalist so you must understand that when you make public statements as a journalist you must provide sources. This is a health hazard and the HuffPost could be sued by the FDA or any health organization for spreading these rumours.

(and i hate the huffPost because it's killing our profession so i'm in no way supporting them but just saying what i learnt in journalism school)

[Guest Rachelle of London]

Children dying from preventable diseases ought to be a huge ordeal. Parents shouldn't be given the choice. Children need protection. They're dependent.

Not all kids that don't get vaccinated die though. If all these diseases were curable then it would be mandatory and not a choice. Pumping chemicals into a young child doesn't necessarily mean that they won't get sick. It should be down to the parent to decide at the end of the day and no one else's opinion, or input especially from celebs and people that don't even have kids.

[Skin]

Such a first world problem. Vaccinate your kids if you want to and if you don't want to don't vaccinate them. There doesn't need to be such a huge ordeal. It's the same as abortion. Always blown up to be bigger than it is.

Well as long as these un vaxxed kids are kept away from someone like my niece, we are cool.

To the parent of the unvaccinated child who exposed my family to measles:

I have a number of strong feelings surging through my body right now. Towards my family, I am feeling extra protective like a papa bear. Towards you, unvaccinating parent, I feel anger and frustration at your choices.

More stories on vaccines and outbreaks:

By now we've all heard of the measles outbreak that originated in Disneyland. Or more accurately, originated from an unvaccinated person that infected other similarly minded vacationers. I won't get into a debate about the whole anti-vaccine movement, the thimerisol controversy (no longer even used in childhood vaccines), or the myth that MMR causes autism (there are changes in autistic brain chemistry prior to birth).

Let's talk measles for just a minute. It once was widespread in the US. It is now considered 'eliminated' in the US (not continually circulating in the population—only contracted through travel out of country). Measles is highly contagious (>90 percent infectious) and can survive airborne in a room and infect someone two hours later. Another fun fact is that measles is transmittable before it can be diagnosed—four days before the characteristic rash appears. "Measles itself is unpleasant, but the complications are dangerous. Six to 20 percent of the people who get the disease will get an ear infection, diarrhea, or even pneumonia. One out of 1000 people with measles will develop inflammation of the brain, and about one out of 1000 will die." That sounds fun!

There were three shots for Maggie and two shots for Eli. They screamed, but they now have some temporary protection against measles. We pray it is enough.

Okay.

Calm down, self.

I assume you love your child just like I love mine. I assume that you are trying to make good choices regarding their care. Please realize that your child does not live in a bubble. When your child gets sick, other children are exposed. My children. Why would you knowingly expose anyone to your sick, unvaccinated child after recently visiting Disneyland? That was a boneheaded move.

Why does this effect me and mine? Why is my family at risk if we are vaccinating? I'm glad you asked.

Regarding measles, there are four groups of people.

All are represented in my family.

First, the MMR vaccine results in immunity for most who receive it. Two doses provides protection that can be confirmed with blood titers. My wife is in this group.

Second, about 3 percent of fully vaccinated children do not develop a lasting immune response. They have low blood titers and are not protected against measles. If exposed, this group will likely get the illness. I am in this group. I was thankfully not exposed.

Third, we have the unvaccinated. My son, Eli, is 10 months old. He is too young to received the MMR vaccine and thus has no protection. Whether by refusal or because they are too young, exposed unvaccinated children have a 90 percent chance of getting measles.

Fourth, there are children like my Maggie. These are children who can't be vaccinated. Children who have cancer. Children who are immunocompromised. Children who are truly allergic to a vaccine or part of a vaccine (i.e., anaphylaxis to egg). These children remain at risk. They cannot be protected, except by vaccinating people around them.

Maggie, before and after being diagnosed with cancer

Maggie was diagnosed last August with ALL—acute lymphoblastic leukemia (blood cancer). She has had multiple rounds of chemotherapy, lumbar punctures, and surgery to implant her port. She has been admitted six times since diagnosis and spent over three weeks at Phoenix Children's Hospital (including Halloween and New Years). She had been immunized fully, but we are unable to immunize her further until after treatments end. Her treatment will prayerfully end shortly after her 5th birthday, in January 2017.

Here is how the measles outbreak has further complicated our situation.

Unvaccinating parent, thanks for screwing up our three-week "vacation" from chemotherapy.

It was a Wednesday. Maggie had just been discharged from Phoenix Children's Hospital after finishing her latest round of chemotherapy. That afternoon she went to the PCH East Valley Specialty Clinic for a lab draw. Everything went fine, and we were feeling good…until Sunday evening when we got the call. On Wednesday afternoon, Anna, Maggie, and Eli had been exposed to measles by another patient. Our two kids lacked the immunity to defend against measles. The only protection available was multiple shots of rubeola immune globulin (measles antibodies). There were three shots for Maggie and two shots for Eli. They screamed, but they now have some temporary protection against measles. We pray it is enough.

Eli getting multiple shots of measles antibodies

Eli and Maggie were exposed to measles on January 21. Despite the treatment noted, they could start showing signs of measles any time from now through February 11 (21 days post exposure). After a new blood test, both my wife and I were found to be immune to measles, but the children will remain in isolation until February 11.

Unvaccinating parent, thanks for screwing up our three-week "vacation" from chemotherapy. Instead of a break, we get to watch for measles symptoms and pray for no fevers (or back to the hospital we go). Thanks for making us cancel our trip to the snow this year. Maggie really wanted to see snow, but we will not risk exposing anyone else. On that note, thanks for exposing 195 children to an illness considered 'eliminated' from the US. Your poor choices don't just effect your child. They affect my family and many more like us.

Please forgive my sarcasm. I am upset and just a little bit scared.

Papa bear

[Guest Rachelle of London]

Well as long as these un vaxxed kids are kept away from someone like my niece, we are cool.

I genuinely had no clue there was such a stigma in America about unvaccinated kids. That's sad.

[Guest Rocco Papa]

This has nothing to do with freedom of speech. The HuffPost is a private plateform not a public service one. That's an editor job to chose what he or she wants on the plateform.

I understand that you want to work as a journalist so you must understand that when you make public statements as a journalist you must provide sources. This is a health hazard and the HuffPost could be sued by the FDA or any health organization for spreading these rumours.

(and i hate the huffPost because it's killing our profession so i'm in no way supporting them but just saying what i learnt in journalism school)

I'm all for vaccinations myself.

But I absolutely do believe this is a freedom of speech issue. I'm not denying these sites have the right to reject a view they disagree with. But I still think it's wrong. These days, people are under the illusion that they're doing something right. When in reality, all they're doing is silencing people and restricting a difference of opinion. They're shutting down any chances at having an actual discussion. How do we expect to make any progress that way?

Having majored in journalism in college, I certainly understand the significance of providing sources to back up your claims. That's something I make sure to do when I have an article published. I can't say whether or not this man provided sources in his article. I haven't read his article and my guess is that none of you did either.

[Raider of the lost Ark]

Not all kids that don't get vaccinated die though. If all these diseases were curable then it would be mandatory and not a choice. Pumping chemicals into a young child doesn't necessarily mean that they won't get sick. It should be down to the parent to decide at the end of the day and no one else's opinion, or input especially from celebs and people that don't even have kids.

But the problem is that they don't live isolated. The children go to kindergarten, they go to school, they go to all kinds of places. As a result they can infect many many other children/people. We are not talking about a flu here. We re talking about diseases like measles and rubella. Especially rubella can be a huge risk for women who are pregnant (and you find a lot of pregnant women at kindergartens and other child day cares). Not for the woman but for the phoetus. The chance that your child is born disabled is extremely high. I'm all for vaccination. It's one of those things where the interest of the population as whole trumps the interest of a minority. People simply forget that there were times when almost the entire population of a country was wiped out because of certain diseases and they didn't have vaccinations.

[Guest]

Such a first world problem. Vaccinate your kids if you want to and if you don't want to don't vaccinate them. There doesn't need to be such a huge ordeal. It's the same as abortion. Always blown up to be bigger than it is.

There are poor people that don't even have a bloody choice.

It's not the same. Having a termination does not effect the health of the population. Not having your children vaccinated does!

Like I mentioned before, if herd immunity is compromised, more children will suffer and needlessly die.

[Guest]

Children dying from preventable diseases ought to be a huge ordeal. Parents shouldn't be given the choice. Children need protection. They're dependent.

+1

[Guest]

Not all kids that don't get vaccinated die though. If all these diseases were curable then it would be mandatory and not a choice. Pumping chemicals into a young child doesn't necessarily mean that they won't get sick. It should be down to the parent to decide at the end of the day and no one else's opinion, or input especially from celebs and people that don't even have kids.

Again, this is false. The rise and return of the measles is the perfect example. A ban on vaccination has caused this disease to return to the herd. It's not just children who are at risk, it's anyone who comes into contact.

Measles was gone! It was eradicated in the US in 2000. Because a handful of non-vaxxed children entered public school, it's back again. In turn, more people are being infected.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2013/09/28/true-cost-not-vaccinating-the-return-measles/4PBenymtmf0CE9WOT1FUWI/story.html

[VogueMusic]

But the problem is that they don't live isolated. The children go to kindergarten, they go to school, they go to all kinds of places. As a result they can infect many many other children/people. We are not talking about a flu here. We re talking about diseases like measles and rubella. Especially rubella can be a huge risk for women who are pregnant (and you find a lot of pregnant women at kindergartens and other child day cares). Not for the woman but for the phoetus. The chance that your child is born disabled is extremely high. I'm all for vaccination. It's one of those things where the interest of the population as whole trumps the interest of a minority. People simply forget that there were times when almost the entire population of a country was wiped out because of certain diseases and they didn't have vaccinations.

THIS.

It puts everyone at risk. That's what is so concerning. Esp. with diseases that were almost damn near wiped out coming back.

And knowing people who already have issues with compromised immune systems, it's frightening.

[Guest]

I'm all for vaccinations myself.

But I absolutely do believe this is a freedom of speech issue. I'm not denying these sites have the right to reject a view they disagree with. But I still think it's wrong. These days, people are under the illusion that they're doing something right. When in reality, all they're doing is silencing people and restricting a difference of opinion. They're shutting down any chances at having an actual discussion. How do we expect to make any progress that way?

Having majored in journalism in college, I certainly understand the significance of providing sources to back up your claims. That's something I make sure to do when I have an article published. I can't say whether or not this man provided sources in his article. I haven't read his article and my guess is that none of you did either.

I read it. This journalist has written a blog with fraudulent and deadly information. It would be like writing an article saying, "It's ok for you to have unprotected sex because a couple clinics in the US did HIV tests on four different people who had unprotected sex and they came up HIV negative". So, it's ok if you don't use a condom. In fact, you are at less risk of attracting HIV if you don't".

How would you feel if you read a blog like that. Then you find out that your neighbor believes this particular journalist and has unprotected sex with various people, thinking that he's acting morally.

The Huff acted correctly.

[runa]

I read it. This journalist has written a blog with fraudulent and deadly information. It would be like writing an article saying, "It's ok for you to have unprotected sex because a couple clinics in the US did HIV tests on four different people who had unprotected sex and they came up HIV negative". So, it's ok if you don't use a condom. In fact, you are at less risk of attracting HIV if you don't".

How would you feel if you read a blog like that. Then you find out that your neighbor believes this particular journalist and has unprotected sex with various people, thinking that he's acting morally.

The Huff acted correctly.

I agree.

Freedom of speach doesn't mean you can say and write anything

[Roland Barthes]

I read it. This journalist has written a blog with fraudulent and deadly information. It would be like writing an article saying, "It's ok for you to have unprotected sex because a couple clinics in the US did HIV tests on four different people who had unprotected sex and they came up HIV negative". So, it's ok if you don't use a condom. In fact, you are at less risk of attracting HIV if you don't".

How would you feel if you read a blog like that. Then you find out that your neighbor believes this particular journalist and has unprotected sex with various people, thinking that he's acting morally.

The Huff acted correctly.

Exactly.

that's the biggest problem with the Huffpost and this kind of "journalism", they give bloggers the same credit as journalists (without paying them) and it really fucks up people's minds.

[XXL]

Not all kids that don't get vaccinated die though. If all these diseases were curable then it would be mandatory and not a choice. Pumping chemicals into a young child doesn't necessarily mean that they won't get sick. It should be down to the parent to decide at the end of the day and no one else's opinion, or input especially from celebs and people that don't even have kids.

This!