To make a long story short, Keith Olbermann challenged the ethics of British journalist Brian Deer and the Murdoch owned Times of London on last night’s Countdown. Deer is the writer of the Times piece on the alleged fraud of Andrew Wakefield and Wakefiled’s research into vaccine-caused autism. Deer’s letter to the producers of Countdown was posted with his permission on the science blog <a href=”http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2009/02/brian_deer_responds_to_keith_olbermann.php“>Respectful Insolence. An excerpt, but do click on the link and read the entire thing:

The producers, Countdown, MSNBC
On Wednesday 11 February 2009 you placed into the mouth of your presenter Keith Olbermann a grievously defamatory item concerning me. You named me the third of the day’s “world’s worst persons” and, among other things, accused me of dishonesty and “malfeasance” in connection with my work as a journalist for The Sunday Times of London. The item has been widely seen in the UK.
On the previous day, you broadcast a similarly defamatory item concerning Dr Andrew Wakefield, whose false claims of having found a possible link between a childhood vaccine and autism have been the subject of my investigations. Wakefield can no doubt deal with his own reputation. However, it’s clear to me that, although I share your apparent general opinion of Wakefield, the item concerning him contained inaccuracies, and appeared to have been crudely lifted from my work, without any effort whatsoever on your part to check your facts, or to properly describe my findings. I think that by subsequently attacking me you believed that you could somehow mitigate your previous errors.

And here’s another blogger going after Olbermann. What makes this take great is the writer is a huge Olbie fan. An excerpt:

It happens to the best of them. Keith Olbermann, my hero, the heir apparent to Edward R. Murrow, and the only reason left to watch cable TV, has been played by the anti-vaccine lobby.
A few nights ago, Olbermann called much-needed attention to the UK physician who kicked off the decade-long wave of mass hysteria known as the anti-vaccine movement. During the Countdown segment, Andrew Wakefield, or “Wakers” to his diminishing fan base, was named The Worst Person in the World.
Anti-vaccine activists went on quicksilver alert, and besieged MSNBC with emails, faxes, phone calls and much gnashing of teeth. Olbermann caved, or rather bent over and grabbed his ankles. It could have been a phone call from Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Arriana Huffington, or any number of dwarf stars in the anti-vaccine firmament. Whatever. Olbermann was pwned by the same barking loons who think the Amish don’t vaccinate, and that measles leads to all-you-can-eat ice cream binges. Without evidence or cause, Olbermann repeated vaccine rejectionist talking points, and unfairly attacked the journalist who exposed Wakefield’s malfeasance.