Florida announced the move to end vaccine mandates earlier this month, reflecting a nationwide trend of rising vaccine hesitancy. While this repeal won’t take effect for at least 90 days, the announcement has sparked protests, confusion, and public health concerns across the country.
To help journalists with their coverage, the Institute reached out to Chelsea Cirruzzo, Washington correspondent for STAT News, a digital publication focused on health, science, and medicine.
Here is her advice for explaining fact-based evidence, debunking misinformation about the safety of vaccines, and localizing federal public health policy.
As a Washington correspondent, you are on the front line of rising vaccine hesitancy in the U.S. in relation to federal policy. How did we get to this moment and what challenges have you faced in your reporting?
Cirruzzo: Vaccine hesitancy has been rising in the U.S. for some time — and it really took off thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. A recent KFF poll, which found that one in six parents say they’re skipping recommended childhood vaccines, asked why and found that some parents are not as convinced about the safety of flu and COVID-19 vaccines as they are about measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines.
Certainly questions about the safety of these vaccines have been elevated by people like U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the people in his department. It’s clear there’s a lot of anger and mistrust about the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic by the Biden administration that’s served as a jumping-off point to questioning things like the safety of mRNA vaccines, the technology that fueled COVID vaccines.
This creates a challenge for me to wade through claims versus the evidence we do have and explain to my readers why this information is important. For example, federal vaccine advisers recently voted to recommend the removal of thimerosal from vaccines, a preservative linked to debunked claims that vaccines cause autism. As a reporter, it’s my duty to include the scientific evidence we do know about thimerosal, including that it’s used in a small number of flu vaccines in the U.S. and the scientific community has said it’s safe. However, it can often be an uphill battle when you’re dealing with information from federal officials that is in direct conflict with the scientific community.
How can journalists covering public health policy avoid elevating harmful talking points, especially when it comes to reporting on political figures like HHS Secretary Kennedy?
Cirruzzo: Read up on what you’re covering so you’re prepared to ask questions.
Build up your sourcing within the medical and scientific community, including former and current federal and state health officials, practicing physicians, and leading medical organizations.
Always follow up a quote that makes a scientific claim with the scientific backing for it.
Remember that you owe it to your readers to be accurate and to help them understand where the talking points are coming from.
How do you respond when a source shares information that contradicts scientific consensus?
Cirruzzo: I will ask them directly: How do you respond to X, Y, and Z evidence that says otherwise? And then I will include that response in my reporting. I’ll also bring what they said to other scientific and medical sources and ask them to assess it using their own backgrounds.
It can be a little bit of a back and forth, going between sources to assess various claims, but it’s worth it to be as accurate as possible.
The end of Florida’s vaccine mandate is not just a local story. How can journalists across the country contextualize this issue for their audiences?
Cirruzzo: Florida isn’t the only state considering changes to its vaccine requirements, so journalists should pay attention to what’s happening in their states and how it may impact the people — especially parents with school-aged children — living there. For example, in West Virginia, there’s a legal battle over whether the governor can expand school vaccine exemptions that is worth watching.
On the other hand, journalists in states that are forming their own public health and vaccine-related policy in direct opposition to federal policy (like the West Coast Health Care Alliances) should be asking how that will impact the ability of people in those states to access certain care — as well as how trust in public health is impacted.
Even if there’s not yet an active fight over vaccine policy in your state, journalists should educate themselves on state vaccine laws and identify the key players in shaping vaccine policy on the state-level. That includes lawmakers, medical organizations, school boards, and parent groups, to name a few.
What questions should journalists be asking once the ban takes effect?
Cirruzzo: Is there a clear difference or decline in vaccine uptake among school-aged children in the state?
I’d recommend asking provider and insurers groups in the state if they are purchasing and reimbursing for vaccines as well as reviewing Medicaid claims data to see whether insurance claims related to vaccination are being submitted.
I’d establish a baseline for certain vaccine-preventable illnesses, like how many kids get measles, mumps, and rubella each year prior to the ban, and revisit those numbers later.
I’d also ask about comings and goings from the state. Are parents leaving or moving to the state because of the ban?
As more public health data disappears from government websites, what are some resources you recommend for journalists covering vaccine policy in the U.S.?
Cirruzzo: One of my favorite resources for public health data is from KFF, which does some excellent polling and analysis on health policy. I also stay in touch with organizations that represent state health officials, such as the National Academy for State Health Policy.
When trying to assess certain claims and parsing through scientific evidence, I often rely on leading medical organizations, like the American Academy of Pediatrics, and experts at leading medical and public health schools, like Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.