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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Recommended Citation |
Smith, Tara C; Dorit Rubinstein Reiss Digging the rabbit hole, COVID-19 edition: anti-vaccine themes and the discourse around COVID-19. Microbes and Infection 22(10) 608-610. doi: 10.1016/j.micinf.2020.11.001. Retrieved from https://oaks.kent.edu/covid19ksu/digging-rabbit-hole-covid-19-edition-anti-vaccine-themes-and-discourse-around-covid-19
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