In 2008, the animals rights group PETA was lambasted for a new ad campaign.
Although the billboards were quickly taken down, the ridiculous article discussing the supposed link between autism and milk remains on the group's website. Steven Novella and a columnist for the Telegraph (among others?) seem to have just discovered the article and mistaken it for a new campaign. Still, it's worth noting one thing the Telegraph columnist said about the PETA article. He called it "opportunistic scaremongering." This is a common tactic of activists. More recently, anti-biotech activists have been claiming a link between GMOs and autism. Many who are zealous about a cause turn into opportunistic fear-mongers. And that, combined with the media's penchant for alarming stories, seems to be harmful to people's health.
