It has come to my attention that not everyone understands what goes into making Vaccination News what it is and why it is so costly to operate. So I thought a brief explanation might be in order.

In order to get the news to you in an orderly and meaningful fashion, to varying degrees the people working on the website go through paid & free subscription news services (including Google alerts on a number of vaccine-related topics) every day looking for appropriate news/information.  In addition, countless journal tables of contents are scrutinized for relevant articles, as are numerous internet groups' emails.  Each link is examined and if it is decided a quote is warranted, the article must be read by someone.  Then the articles are put in a specific, uniform format using proper attribution.  Occasionally comments from me or another person are added.
 
Picks of the Day are chosen and archived by month.  At one time we had a page with the most recent articles, called breaking news (now archived), but discontinued it to cut costs.  (We don't always get the news in a timely fashion, so not all the news was added to this page.)  All the news, regardless of its timeliness, however, is added to the "All the News" page.  It is also archived by month.

There have been specific projects as well, including trying to make sure all of Dan Olmsted's "Age of Autism" articles can be found on one page, even if they have disappeared from the UPI site. 

Other extra expenses may include trips to vaccination-related conferences and/or sponsoring speaking engagements.  For instance, in 2006 David Kirby was brought to Alaska, where he addressed the Downtown Rotary Club, as well as a nice crowd at the Wilda Marston Theater at the Loussac Library, and spoke at the UAA bookstore.  (Click here for the Anchorage Daily News story on his visit.)

This (or similar) work used to take me, when I did it myself, 10-15 hours each day.  One year I don't think I got even one day off.   (In fact, it would be too costly to do everything I used to do.)  It is the main reason why my health suffered, especially my back.  (I am now on the mend, thank you!)

Currently, bare-bones expenses for the website are more than $40,000 a year.  The pain-staking, laborious work to maintain the website is now done by two moms with vaccine-injured children and they are paid a fair and reasonable hourly wage.  (One of them has two children with vaccine injuries.)  These moms work enough hours that they are able to stay home with their children, rather than have to find a job away from home.

I hope this helps explain why a fee for the use of the site has become necessary.   Please note that Vaccination News now qualifies as a public charity.  Because of this, if you choose to make an outright donation, either in addition to or instead of subscribing, your donation may be tax deductible.  (please create an account and go here for the subscription/donation page), or you can donate via the PayPal "donate" button in the upper right-hand corner.

All the best,

Sandy Gottstein (aka Mintz)

President, Vaccination News, A Non-Profit Corporation

**Letters from David Kirby, Dr. Darrel Crain, Dr. Meryl Nass, Professor Philip Rudnick, Barbara Lewis of Red Flags, Dr. F. Edward Yazbak, Dr. Harold Buttram, Dr. Sherri J. Tenpenny, Dr. Philip Incao, Hilary Butler, Professor Boyd Haley, Catherine O'Driscoll, Paul Shattock on the value of Vaccination News** - all the letters

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DISCLAIMER:    All information, data, and material contained, presented, or provided here is for general information purposes only and is not to be construed as reflecting the knowledge or opinions of the publisher, and is not to be construed or intended as providing medical or legal advice.  The decision whether or not to vaccinate is an important and complex issue and should be made by you, and you alone, in consultation with your health care provider.