Preparing for the Next Pandemic
by Grayce Mores, updated September 2022
Issues
Racial Disparities in Health Messaging
It's difficult to combat vaccine misinformation, as anti-vax and anti-science groups have strong organization and distrust of authority.
Solutions
- Using mass communication toolsets in science writing aimed for the public
- Meeting the public where they are using empathy - "I know this is confusing. It is
hard. I struggled with this, too."
- Need for public health conversations and to find common ground with the public
- Need for new messages and messengers - mass communication strategies for health and science messages
- Early identification of public opinion - working with social media
- Debunking or pre-bunking misinformation
For citizens:
- Check sourcing - link to learn more about spotting and stopping misinfo in its tracks
For journalists:
- Better communication by amplifying expert voices, establishing trusted sources, leading with facts, and not amplifying misinformation
- Empower and amplify already trusted sources to give correct messaging
For scientists and public health officials:
- Meet the public where they are - use mass communication strategies of repetition,
clarity, brevity, and simplicity when communicating with the public.
- Know your audience - background, previous knowledge, concerns
- Debunking or pre-bunking misinfo