
Photo: Yuri Samoilov via Flickr
A new New York Times perspective piece on whether we’re underselling the various COVID-19 vaccines had public health Twitter abuzz on Jan. 18, with responses ranging from high fives to intense critique. My reaction was in the latter camp. The points I made in this thread (unrolled here) are essential to consider for all journalists reporting on all vaccines and for this virus in particular. I’ve touched on these issues multiple times in the past, particularly the importance of knowing:
- The research on vaccine hesitancy before writing about it
- Understanding the potential impact of reporting on vaccination intent surveys
- Avoiding false balance in reporting on science topics