Media attack prompts editorial backlash against MMR study.

Reports that editors at "The Lancet" launched a pre-emptive media strike on February 18, 2004 after learning that "The Sunday Times" was investigating undeclared conflicts of interest in a 1998 paper linking autism with the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Decision of the medical journal to declare that the autism was flawed and should have not been published in its original form; Public controversy triggered by the paper over the safety of the MMR vaccine; Failure of lead author Andrew Wakefield to disclose the existence of the legal-aid study.