Skip to the story
All StoriesPoliticsConflict & SecurityBusiness & EconomyScience & TechHealthClimateMedia
All stories
Health20 outlets ran this4 min read

RFK Jr. addresses anti-vaccine group, touts Trump administration actions

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spoke at a conference for Children's Health Defense, an organization he once chaired.

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published
RFK Jr. addresses anti-vaccine group, touts Trump administration actions

What this story says

  • Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spoke Thursday at a conference held by the anti-vaccine group Children's Health Defense.
  • Kennedy told attendees they had a friend in President Donald Trump's White House and highlighted administration actions to scale back vaccine guidance.
  • Pennsylvania has reported four measles-associated deaths this year, with none of the individuals vaccinated, according to state officials.
  • Andrew Wakefield, whose study linking MMR vaccine to autism was later discredited, also spoke at the event.

Who covered it

Left 47%(9)Centre 48%(9)Right 5%(1)

Percentages are shares of the 19 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 1 of the 20 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

42/100

Craft

61/100

Hype

41/100

20 sources · methodology

Thin on the right so far

Only 1 of the 19 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.

This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. delivered the keynote address on Thursday at a conference hosted by the anti-vaccine activist group Children's Health Defense. Kennedy, who previously chaired the organization, told the attendees that they had a friend in President Donald Trump's White House. This was Kennedy's first appearance at a Children's Health Defense conference since becoming health secretary.

During his speech, Kennedy highlighted actions taken by the Trump administration to reduce vaccine guidance and reshape a key vaccine advisory board. He stated, "We’ve accomplished in 19 months things that would have seemed unthinkable two years ago." The speech also touched on vaccine safety questions. Critics, including medical associations, have expressed concern that such actions could increase vaccine hesitancy and public confusion.

Disagreement on vaccine deaths

Pennsylvania officials have reported four measles-associated deaths this year, and none of the individuals were vaccinated, according to the state health department. The Associated Press reported that the country is facing its worst year for measles since 1991, with seven reported deaths in the last two years. However, the digest from Medical Daily noted that Kennedy's return to the group comes as measles cases rise, without specifying the number of deaths.

What the coverage left out

None of the left-rated digests mention the specific number of measles-associated deaths reported by Pennsylvania officials this year. None of the centre-rated digests mention the specific number of measles-associated deaths reported by Pennsylvania officials this year. The right-rated digest does not mention the specific number of measles-associated deaths reported by Pennsylvania officials this year.

Tags:#RFKJ#Vaccines#PublicHealth#TrumpAdministration#Measles

Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 1 time, most recently on 17 Sept 2026, 22:00, and will add the sides that appear.

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

9 rated outlets

  • Ten left-rated reports led on Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. addressing the anti-vaccine group Children's Health Defense and stating they had a friend in the Trump White House. Several reports noted Kennedy's past chairmanship of the organization and his return to public association with it after a period of distancing. The Associated Press digest, carried by multiple left-rated outlets, detailed Kennedy's remarks about scaling back vaccine guidance and reshaping advisory boards. The digests also mentioned the presence of Andrew Wakefield, author of a discredited study linking vaccines to autism, who followed Kennedy onstage. Some reports highlighted criticism of Kennedy's appearance from Pennsylvania officials, such as Governor Josh Shapiro, who stated Kennedy should have encouraged vaccination instead of promoting fear and mistrust.

Centre

9 rated outlets

  • Eight centre-rated reports focused on Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s keynote address at the Children's Health Defense conference, emphasizing his statement that attendees had a friend in the Trump White House. These reports noted Kennedy's prior role as chairman of the group and his remarks about the administration's efforts to reduce vaccine guidance and reform a vaccine advisory board. The digests also mentioned the appearance of Andrew Wakefield. The reports from WBAL, which included a full report, detailed criticism from Pennsylvania officials and medical groups regarding Kennedy's speech and its potential to increase vaccine hesitancy. WBAL also reported on the number of measles-associated deaths in Pennsylvania and stated that none of the victims were vaccinated.

Right

1 rated outlet

  • The single right-rated report led on Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. telling anti-vaccine activists they had a friend in President Donald Trump's White House. The digest stated that Kennedy gave the keynote address at a conference for the group he once chaired.

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover RFK Jr. addresses anti-vaccine group, touts Trump administration actions?
Of the 19 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 47% are rated left, 48% are rated centre, 5% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 20. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is RFK Jr. addresses anti-vaccine group, touts Trump administration actions left or right?
Neither side dominates it. Of the 19 rated outlets on this story, 47% are rated left, 48% are rated centre, 5% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
Is the coverage of RFK Jr. addresses anti-vaccine group, touts Trump administration actions biased?
RFK Jr. addresses anti-vaccine group, touts Trump administration actions is one event reported by 20 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
Which side is not reporting RFK Jr. addresses anti-vaccine group, touts Trump administration actions?
When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
Which outlets covered RFK Jr. addresses anti-vaccine group, touts Trump administration actions?
20 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
What did Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. say at the Children's Health Defense conference?
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told attendees they had a friend in President Donald Trump's White House. He also highlighted actions taken by the Trump administration to scale back vaccine guidance and reshape a key vaccine advisory board.
What is Children's Health Defense?
Children's Health Defense is an anti-vaccine activist group that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. formerly chaired. He spoke at their conference, marking his first appearance since becoming health secretary.
What is the current situation with measles in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania officials have reported four measles-associated deaths this year. According to state health department information, none of the individuals who died had been vaccinated.
Who else spoke at the conference besides Robert F. Kennedy Jr.?
Andrew Wakefield, who authored a study that linked the MMR vaccine to autism but was later discredited, also followed Kennedy onstage at the conference.

Read it at the source

20 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

9
Show 1 more

Centre

9
Show 1 more

Right

1

Not rated

1

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

More in Health

All Health →
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks alongside President Donald Trump3 min readRobert F. Kennedy Jr. names eight to U.S. Preventive Services Task ForceRead storyThe fire broke out on the second floor of the north wing at Burnaby Hospital on Nov. 15, 2020. (Ryan Stelting/CBC)2 min readYu Yung Wang charged with arson in 2020 Burnaby Hospital fireRead story

Elsewhere on the site

Bill CassidyPolitics•3 min readSenator Cassidy links Trump vaccine policy to measles deathsUS Senators Demand Details on Saudi Nuclear DealPolitics•1 min readUS Senators Demand Details on Saudi Nuclear DealElon Musk attends news conference with President Donald Trump at the White House in 2025.APPolitics•3 min readTrump administration paid $9.5 billion for federal workers not to workTrump Administration to Install Warning Signs at History MuseumPolitics•2 min readTrump Administration to Install Warning Signs at History Museum
RFK Jr. at vaccine conference | MediaBias News