Digging the rabbit hole,COVID-19 edition: anti-vaccine themes and the discourse around COVID-19 |
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Institution: | 1. College of Public Health, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA;2. University of California Hastings College of the Law, San Francisco, CA, USA |
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Abstract: | This article draws on a broadcast popular among the anti-vaccine community to map out six themes used by the broadcast to mislead viewers about COVID-19. The themes are the claim that “they” – government and pharma – are lying to you, claims that COVID-19 is an excuse to remove civil liberties, viewing everyone as an expert, claiming that science cannot save us, skewing the science, and a claim that “they” are out to harm the viewers. The article points out that similar themes are used to mislead followers with anti-vaccine information. It highlights the concern that these themes will not only mislead people who are already anti-vaccine about the pandemic, but may draw in people who are not anti-vaccine but are seeking information about COVID-19, and suggests some options for dealing with the misinformation. Scientists benefit from understanding these claims, as we are often tasked with providing rebuttals to this misinformation. |
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Keywords: | Vaccine Misinformation COVID-19 Coronavirus |
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