Battling the COVID pandemic has been a war on many fronts – disease management, the race to develop effective vaccines, and now the equally tricky PR battle against vaccine misinformation and skepticism. In this episode, the Purple Principle speaks with Dr. Jeanine Guidry, Director of the Media and Health Lab at Virginia Commonwealth University, on the varied approaches needed to address the multiple forms of COVID vaccine anxiety: concerns about effectiveness, safety, fertility, and personal liberty. No easy task, but Dr. Guidry has been waging similar battles well before founding the Media and Health Lab at VCU. As a graduate student not long ago, she discovered that the vast majority of vaccine-related discussions on Pinterest were anti-vaccine in nature, and her paper on that topic helped alert Pinterest to the issue. Today, Dr. Guidry feels the social media platforms are doing more to combat misinformation in the case of COVID vaccination. But by its very nature, social media misinfo is impossible to quell completely. Thus personal communications with friends, family, clergy, and primary care doctors are an essential front in this war. Purple Principle listeners, and anyone with empathy and accurate info, can be part of current efforts against vaccine skepticism and misinformation within their social networks. Tune in to learn more about challenges of vaccine science communication in “Vaccines Prevent Viruses; What Combats COVID Vax Skepticism?” with featured guest Dr. Jeanine Guidry of Virginia Commonwealth University. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney Subscribe to our newsletter! https://fluentknowledge.us7.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a805f5f26b01137e6d893f779&id=e49bf57788 Visit our website https://fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/vaccines-prevent-viruses Follow us on social media https://twitter.com/purpleprincipl https://www.instagram.com/thepurpleprinciplepodcast/ https://www.facebook.com/thepurpleprinciplepodcast Recommended resources from Dr. Guidry How to fight misconceptions about COVID-19 vaccines: A VCU expert in media and health explains Building Confidence in COVID-19 Vaccines. CDC. Benefits of Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine. CDC. Vaccines Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Vaccines. World Health Organization.