February 26, 2016
Recently, a presentation stemming from the Centers for Disease Control regarding a flu vaccine awareness and uptake program has been making the rounds on a number of natural health and alternative media websites.
Entitled “Increasing Awareness and Uptake of Influenza Immunization,” by Dr. Glen Nowak, acting director of media relations for the CDC and associate director for communications for the NIP/CDC, reads more like a cross between Edward Bernays, Zbigniew Burzynski and an aggressive corporate marketing firm than anything related to public health.
Nowak’s presentation is supposed to be a short talk about how to best encourage the public to accept vaccinations and encourage vaccine uptake. However, the presentation is actually a list and chronological display of how to manipulate statistics, take advantage of mass media, create mass hysteria and capitalize on a witless and frightened public to achieve the aims of the CDC.
Realistically speaking, the presentation reads more like a wartime psy-op and propaganda manual than a public a service announcement. Nowak’s presentation begins by pointing out that “good (i.e., effective) communication is a necessary but usually only partially sufficient condition for achieving desired behaviors,” and “facts, figures, and statistics in and of themselves, don’t equate to good communication (nor does more information equal good communication).”
Nowak then gives and example of a commonly used type of propaganda related to vaccines. He writes, “‘it strikes 2 million Americans each year. And complications from this kill up to 200, 000 people a year – more people than breast cancer, car crashes, and AIDS combined. The good news is, in most cases, this can be prevented.’ What is it that causes this harm? (and does having this information change your behavior)”
Recently, a presentation stemming from the Centers for Disease Control regarding a flu vaccine awareness and uptake program has been making the rounds on a number of natural health and alternative media websites.
Entitled “Increasing Awareness and Uptake of Influenza Immunization,” by Dr. Glen Nowak, acting director of media relations for the CDC and associate director for communications for the NIP/CDC, reads more like a cross between Edward Bernays, Zbigniew Burzynski and an aggressive corporate marketing firm than anything related to public health.
Nowak’s presentation is supposed to be a short talk about how to best encourage the public to accept vaccinations and encourage vaccine uptake. However, the presentation is actually a list and chronological display of how to manipulate statistics, take advantage of mass media, create mass hysteria and capitalize on a witless and frightened public to achieve the aims of the CDC.
Realistically speaking, the presentation reads more like a wartime psy-op and propaganda manual than a public a service announcement. Nowak’s presentation begins by pointing out that “good (i.e., effective) communication is a necessary but usually only partially sufficient condition for achieving desired behaviors,” and “facts, figures, and statistics in and of themselves, don’t equate to good communication (nor does more information equal good communication).”
Nowak then gives and example of a commonly used type of propaganda related to vaccines. He writes, “‘it strikes 2 million Americans each year. And complications from this kill up to 200, 000 people a year – more people than breast cancer, car crashes, and AIDS combined. The good news is, in most cases, this can be prevented.’ What is it that causes this harm? (and does having this information change your behavior)”