The media storyline had been pretty well set: Anti-vaccine zealots were idiots with no credibility.
In fact, those individuals were endangering others with their ridiculous views.
Those folks who followed anti-vaccinator folks like actor Jim Carrey, radio’s Don Imus and Playmate of the Year Jenny McCarthy were just lemmings.
McCarthy had an autistic son with her first husband, but absolutely no formal scientific credibility. Same for Carrey and Imus. In the eyes of many, not vaccinating children endangered others (LINK).
That may have all dramatically changed when activist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., 61, a noted environmentalist, went on HBO’s Bill Maher show this weekend to promote his new book “Let the Science Speak.” In his book Kennedy, a member of one of the most prominent families in America, said that thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative used in vaccine medications, causes autism.
Amazingly, the uber-cynical Maher, who along with fellow liberal host Jon Stewart have savaged the anti-vaccination crowd in the past, looked at Kennedy and said, “I applaud you for championing this, because we need to talk about this more.”
Stewart, “who’d later rip anti-vaxxers a new one in a February 2015 Daily Show rant,” according to The Daily Beast (LINK), nodded his head when Kennedy talked about the perils of some vaccines, and said, “I appreciate you getting the word out.”
To be fair, Kennedy is not a strict anti-vaccination zealot and says his children have been vaccinated. He is against using mercury in vaccine medications. But, in reality, he has no formal scientific training.
However, when people such as Stewart and Maher turn into sycophants during an interview, you know you have the right person at the right time delivering the message.
From a strictly media relations standpoint, it once again proves the messenger is often the real key in getting your message out to the public. Sometimes a tough call has to be made about who is the one to best deliver the message.
In some circumstances the CEO might be the right person for the message. Other times it might be wise to go with a woman/minority spokesperson depending on the issue. Credibility is the key along with an ability to effectively communicate the message.
Robert Kennedy has proven that the right person with the right message can achieve dramatic results.
