Orac's Tic

Nobody in the blogosphere takes on the anti-vaccine movement with more passion than Orac, who is a surgeon and biomedical researcher. Stylistically, Orac is a bit long-winded for my taste, but his thoroughness is admirable and appreciated. While some may disapprove of his acidic tone, his persistent deconstruction of the arguments and propaganda advanced by the well-organized anti-vaccine movement is both on the mark and necessary. But like many in the climate change concerned community who see "false balance" lurking everywhere in the news media, Orac has the same tic with respect to vaccine-related reportage. In his latest so-called example, he really reaches to make the charge, and even then, he's doing it not with any sense of conviction or evidence, just seemingly out of habit. It's that obvious. The fact that he can't help himself suggests to me that he's hostage to this tic, and perhaps as willfully ignorant of journalistic principles and ethics as anti-vaxxers are of science. UPDATE: I just noticed that the author of the article Orac criticizes responded in his comments section.