Opinion: How we beat anti-vaccination bills in North Dakota
You can’t fact-check fear, and other lessons from successful campaigns against anti-vaccine bills in North Dakota.
Misinformation spreads faster than prairie fire, often with as much destruction. Right now, state legislatures nationwide are debating bills based on erroneous beliefs that would strip away public health protections. Calls to increase vaccine exemptions in schools and daycare centers, for example, have contributed to measles outbreaks in Texas and elsewhere.
But opponents of these bills should not give up. We saw firsthand how deliberate listening and unlikely alliances could mitigate some of the most harmful consequences of disinformation.
