Deer on Autism, Vaccination, and Scientific Fraud

Investigative journalist Brian Deer talks with host Russ Roberts about Deer's 7 years of reporting surrounding the 1998 Lancet article claiming that the MMR vaccine causes autism and bowel problems. Deer's pursuit of the truth led to the discovery that the 1998 article was fraudulent and that the lead author had hidden payments he received from lawyers to finance the original study. In this podcast, Deer describes how he uncovered the truth and the legal consequences that followed. The conversation closes with a discussion of the elusiveness of truth in science and medicine.