THE massive decline in ac ceptance by parents of whoop ing cough immunization for their children since 1974 is a matter of record and it is generally accepted that this is the result of publicity given by radio, television and Press to the reputed hazards of this procedure. This paper, des cribes, in general terms, the sequence of media events about this topic in the past four years and their relation ship to the decline in accept ance of whooping cough im munization in Dudley (popu lation 300,000) a metropolitan borough in the urban West Midlands.