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The idea, as I understand it, would be to present a nice considered discussion of the parents who are worried about vaccination coverage dropping and who agree with the science that autism and vaccines are not linked.

Jenny McCarthy et al. have demonstrated the ability and willingness to lie and mislead in open forums. Sorry to put it so bluntly, but take a look at the recent capital hill briefing (Kirby) and the statements by Jenny McCarthy which lead people to believe that her son had a seizure immediately following his vaccination.

No, a show with Jenny shouting “Bullshit” at Amanda Peet is probably good for ratings and would sell more books for Jenny. But, what would that do for Amanda Peet’s message?

Besides, Amanda Peet has taken the stance that she is not an expert. People, parents especially, need to look to real experts, not celebrities.

How is that message carried well in a debate format?

Amanda Peet: Listen to experts

Jenny McCarthy: the experts are afraid of the truth: vaccine damage.

They aren’t talking the same subject, really.

Or,

Mother: My child died of whooping cough

Jenny: my child has seizures.

I doubt that Amanda Peet would agree to a debate format. She’s already shown that she won’t debate Jenny McCarthy in the press (good for you, Amanda!)

Amanda Peet is out there to give a simple, important message. She’s out there to use her celebrity to make the message be heard.

Jenny McCarthy is quite capable of using the message for her own benefit. Hence the comments she made about Amanda Peet and Barbara Walters—which Jenny McCarthy held back until it would give her book publicity.

A wise man once said, “Every story has a victim, a hero and a villian”. Which role do you think the people sharing a couch with Jenny McCarthy would be cast in?

Besides, it wouldn’t fit the Oprah format—shows should be uplifting. A debate between Jenny McCarthy, a parent whose lost a kid to a vaccine preventable disease and an autism parent noting that the vaccine/autism notion is sucking resources away from autism research (and many autism parents), how does that fit Oprah’s model?

How does Jenny telling an autism parent and a parent of a child killed by vaccine preventable disease that they are part of the vast government conspiracy work?

Generally, scientists are not loud and rude; why invite them to try to present something of a serious nature in a circus environment.

Perhaps a university would be willing to invite credentialed people on both sides of the issue to a formal debate.