Are Anti-Vaxxers Winning?
By Abby Rogers
“The anti-vax movement is more powerful than it's ever been,” Ohio pro-vaccine activist Sarah Barry said. “And they're so powerful, they're winning.”
Barry has been fighting for vaccines during the deadly coronavirus pandemic that has so far claimed more than 400,00 American lives. Anti-vax groups can be found in nearly every state, The York Times reported in September 2019. And at least four are officially politically active, supporting candidates who say they fight for “medical freedom,” the term they use to package their anti-vaccine views.
AJ+‘s Angie Nassar traveled to Ohio — an epicenter of the anti-vax movement — in December 2020, where she found anti-vaxxers, who call themselves “citizens for medical freedom,” have been preparing for this moment for years.
The virus has become the fourth leading cause of death in Ohio, but that hasn’t stopped roughly 60% of nursing home staff from declining the vaccine, the governor said.
And anti-vaxxers have powerful allies in state government in Ohio, including State Rep. Scott Lipps — who was caught on tape appealing to anti-vax activists to bring their energy to a campaign to block mass vaccination in Ohio.
“You know, I have to have energy to stop this vaccine shit that’s coming,” Rep. Scott Lipps was caught saying on video.
COVID-19 has become the 3rd leading cause of death in Ohio, so why are state lawmakers working with anti-vaxxers? pic.twitter.com/c1tgDEn1Mw
— AJ+ (@ajplus) January 28, 2021
While coronavirus has brought the debate about vaccine safety to the forefront, the anti-vax movement was alive and well before the COVID-19 pandemic . Anti-vaxxers have increased their social media following by at least 7 to 8 million people since 2019.
A report published by the Center for Countering Digital Hate in October 2020 revealed that 31 million people follow anti-vax groups on Facebook. Seventeen million people subscribe to anti-vax channels on YouTube.
And those followings mean big business, and big profits, for social media platforms. The anti-vax movement could mean $989 million in revenue for Facebook and Instagram, thanks in large part to the advertising dollars aimed at this growing movement.
Back in Ohio, pro-vaccine activist Barry fears the lack of attention being paid to the growing power of the anti-vax movement, which follows an increasingly successful playbook — albeit one based entirely on false information — for gaining followers according to the CCDH report:
Reassure people COVID isn’t dangerous and the death toll has been exaggerated
Tell followers the COVID-19 death rate is comparable to the seasonal flu
Tell followers the vaccine is dangerous
Claims about the vaccine include that it contains toxic chemicals or cells from abortions and that Bill Gates’ role in vaccine development and distribution means it can’t be trusted
Create a space where anti-vaxxers can ask questions, which often becomes a space for people to become entrenched in their anti-vax beliefs
“The anti-vax movement is more powerful than it's ever been,” Barry told Nassar. “And I think a lot of people aren't paying attention to it, which is problem number one. If you're not paying attention to it, you're never gonna be able to solve it or engage with it in an intelligent way. And they're so powerful, they're winning.”
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