19 Feb 2009 Sunday Times’ London Editor Must Quit Over False “Wakefield MMR Data Fixing” Story

The position of John Witherow, Chief Editor of the internationally published British broadsheet newspaper The Sunday Times, London is looking untenable in the escalating row over freelance journalist, Brian Deer’s now shown-to-be-false Sunday Times’ story alleging former London Royal Free Hospital surgeon and gastroenterology specialist Mr Andrew Wakefield “fixed” data in a Lancet medical journal paper to show a link between the MMR vaccine, autism and serious bowel disorders in children: MMR doctor Andrew Wakefield fixed data on autism” - Brian Deer, The Sunday Times, London - February 8, 2009.

The Sunday Times’ story was improbable and shown to be false: Sunday Times Journalist Made Up Wakefield MMR Data Fixing Allegation .  Late last night the companion story was amended online with a statement “This article is the subject of a legal complaint” [Hidden records show MMR truth Brian Deer, The Sunday Times - February 8, 2009].

For the allegation in freelancer Brian Deer’s story to be true meant that for 10 years the claimed single-handed action by specialist surgeon Mr Wakefield had gone unnoticed by the other 12 eminent former and current London Royal Free Hospital medical authors.  10 of the authors in March 2004 partially retracted the  suggested interpretation in the paper of a possible link between the MMR vaccine and autism in an attempt to alleviate the outcry from British politicians and Government health officials.  The bulk of the Lancet paper still stands and has been replicated in other scientific studies [See end].

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