Index/People/Brian Deer

Brian Deer

Journalist

Fact-Checks

6 results
Jan 16, 2026
Most Viewed

List findings against Dr Andrew Wakefield

Andrew Wakefield’s 1998 Lancet paper asserting a link between the MMR vaccine and autism was formally retracted and later described as fraudulent after years of investigation; multiple inquiries found...

Jan 11, 2026

Andrew Wakefield was right about a potential association between MMR vaccination and abnormal proliferation of intestinal Peyer's patches

Andrew Wakefield’s 1998 Lancet paper suggested that the MMR vaccine might trigger a new “autistic enterocolitis” tied to intestinal changes; that claim has been subjected to intensive investigation an...

Jan 9, 2026

Vilification of Wakefield was unfair

Andrew Wakefield’s 1998 Lancet paper was eventually judged fraudulent, retracted, and found to involve ethical breaches and conflicts of interest that produced measurable public harm — facts that expl...

Jan 8, 2026

What were the key findings of the GMC Fitness to Practise hearings into Andrew Wakefield?

The General Medical Council (GMC) Fitness to Practise hearings concluded that Andrew Wakefield engaged in serious professional misconduct: his 1998 Lancet study was conducted and reported in breach of...

Jan 8, 2026

What did the BMJ and Brian Deer specifically document about Wakefield’s patient records and financial ties?

The BMJ, via a multi-part investigation by Brian Deer, documented that the 1998 Lancet paper by Andrew Wakefield misrepresented the medical histories of all 12 children in the study and that Wakefield...

Jan 8, 2026

Dr Andrew Wakefield was unfairly vilified

Andrew Wakefield’s 1998 Lancet paper linking the MMR vaccine, bowel disease and autism was widely publicized and later retracted amid findings of serious ethical and scientific misconduct; investigato...