Article

Reporting on Common Vaccine Conspiracies and Misinformation

Summary:

"To effectively report on the science behind the effectiveness and safety of vaccines, journalists should understand how false information about them has originated and spread. That includes a universe of misinformation spread a variety of ways. ... Journalists should also understand that many factors can contribute to how likely someone is to believe false information about vaccines. One of these is the influence of cognitive biases — errors in thinking that arise from patterns of experience." Includes a list of common vaccine misconceptions and how to counter inaccurate information.

Author:

Tara Haelle

Published By:

SciLine

Date:

September 16, 2025