The thing that makes Bill Maher's show so entertaining and illuminating is his willingness to speak his mind, whether or not his views are politically correct. That means he says some pretty unconventional stuff, and such was the case last Friday, when he argued against getting the H1N1 vaccine during an interview with Bill Frist. Maher's argument was riddled with factual errors. Fortunately, Frist corrected most of them, just as the New York Times did today.
Among Maher's mistakes, he falsely claimed:
- that no previously health people have died from H1N1 (one-third young people to die from H1N1 were healthy before getting sick;
- that pregnant women should avoid the vaccine like the plague (they are actually at higher risk for H1N1 complications); and
- that flu shots contain live virus (they do not, although nasal mists contain weakened live virus).
Usually, when Maher goes off the reservation, he's got an interesting point to make. But in a case like this, where he's offering medical advice that turned out to be based on incorrect information, he should correct the record.
If Maher does correct the record in his next broadcast, he'll not only be serving the interests of public health, but he'll underscore that his show is truly unconventional.
Most television broadcasters don't have the strength or confidence to correct the record when they are wrong. Presumably, they think admitting error hurts their credibility, but the opposite is true. Knowing that you can trust a television host to admit when he or she has made a mistake builds confidence.
Nobody is perfect, but those who can admit when they were wrong are closer to perfect than those who are too stubborn to concede error.