"I've been physically harassed. I've been sued as a way of getting me to shut up. I've had three death threats the FBI deemed credible... But doing the right thing isn't an easy thing."

Paul Offit, a pediatrician at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, has stepped forward as one of the nation's leading defenders of vaccines — a role that's won him national praise and interviews with Stephen Colbert, but also led him to battle with a vocal community of anti-vaxxers.

Paul joined POLITICO's Dan Diamond to discuss vaccines and why the current political climate is so troubling — and why he wants to send some reporters to "journalism jail" for enabling lies about science.

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REFERENCED ON THE PODCAST

Paul’s new book, "Bad Advice: Or Why Celebrities, Politicians, and Activists Aren't Your Best Source of Health Information"

Paul’s 2015 book, “Bad Faith: When Religious Belief Undermines Modern Medicine.”

Donald Trump made public statements linking autism and vaccines.

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