They weren't arguing against the existence of a consensus, but whether we should be communicating the consensus.
Like every other aspect of the climate change debate (from newspaper articles to perceptions of extreme weather), communicating the consensus is an unavoidably politicised challenge.
Many school materials back then did not communicate the scientific consensus that human activity was a major driver of climate change.
This is why communication experts urge scientists to communicate the 97% consensus.
This doesn't mean that it is impossible to communicate about the consensus effectively – simply that the scientific consensus alone cannot overcome deep-rooted political divides.
In short, communicating the scientific consensus on vaccine safety is likely to be an effective pro-vaccine message that could help prevent current immunization rates from declining.
We recommend that clinicians and public health officials highlight and communicate the high degree of medical consensus on (childhood) vaccine safety when possible.
People tend to badly underestimate the expert consensus on this issue, and research has shown that communicating the 97% consensus makes people more likely to accept the scientific reality of human-caused global warming and the need to do something about the threats it poses.
Communicate the structure.
Communicate the Strategy.
