EDITORIAL: Anti-vax sentiments can be combatted on campus
Anti-vax content should not be banned, but instead met with science-based counterarguments
These past few days, YouTube has enacted a new policy to take down certain anti-vax videos on their website in an effort to combat misinformation. At the intersection of psychology, constitutional rights, medical research and more, this decision no doubt complicates the discussion surrounding the balance of free speech and public welfare.
YouTube supports its decision to ban certain types of speech using research that proves that unregulated anti-vax literature lowers the vaccination rate therefore causing higher rates of vaccine hesitancy.
“YouTube will ban any videos that claim that commonly used vaccines approved by health authorities are ineffective or dangerous,” according to The Wall Street Journal.
On the other hand, YouTube allows, “content related to their personal experiences with the vaccine, but only if those videos adhere to the site’s community guidelines,” according to NPR.
One point of contention with the policy is its implications for your First Amendment rights, which are not quite as straightforward as they may seem. YouTube is really getting into the weeds with this policy because the line between First Amendment violations and constitutional limitations on speech is always shifting. We encourage you to look into your right to “yell fire in a crowded theater” for more information on the legal debate.
The biggest question is whether or not YouTube’s new policy will actually have an effect on the anti-vax community. We believe the answer to that question is no, and as a result Rutgers must stay away from these kinds of hard line policies.
Neither Rutgers nor YouTube have the capability to ban anti-vax media on every platform and so banning content on one website or forum only pushes anti-vaxxers to other outlets where they can complain about vaccinations and their “violated” civil liberties. Rutgers could do more to combat the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on campus but that does not have to mean censoring individuals.
“To combat the anti-vaccination movement, there must be a strong emphasis on helping parents develop trust in health professionals and relevant authorities, educating them on the facts and figures (and) debunking the myths peddled by the anti-vaccination movements,” according to a recent study. The problem is this goal does not have to be achieved by banning anti-vax content but rather by combating it with counter arguments and sound science.
Although it might seem like anti-vaxxers are scarce on campus since the majority of us are vaccinated, Rutgers is not immune (no pun intended) to misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine. Just recently, a lawsuit regarding the vaccine mandate cropped up and is still in the weeds.
The point is, banning anti-vax media on campus will do little for the general student body. Rutgers can do more to promote the vaccine to faculty and surrounding communities in order to combat any anti-vax sentiments. As a research institution, Rutgers has the resources to package information on vaccine safety and efficiency in a way that is easily digestible for people without a science background.
That being said, a research university should be well aware that vaccinated individuals can still come down with and transmit COVID-19. What Rutgers must do is offer COVID-19 tests for all students, vaccinated or not, since vaccinated students are not included in Rutgers' testing program at this point in time. When you consider the fact that most Rutgers students are vaccinated, as per the University-wide mandate, you realize that most students do not have access to COVID-19 testing.
Not offering testing on campus makes Rutgers policies look hypocritical. On the one hand, vaccines are mandated, but on the other, those who get vaccinated are inconvenienced by school policy barring their access to testing.
At this point in time students with symptoms are just asked to quarantine themselves and sit tight. Offering COVID-19 testing to all students would make a significant impact in lowering COVID-19 cases on campus and catch any flare-ups before they happen. Changing this policy would also help to emphasize the seriousness of the situation for those who might be skeptical and increase the community's trust in Rutgers' decision-making.
Students, as always, must be safe, quarantine upon discovering any symptoms and making sure that they do get tested at a local pharmacy, even if Rutgers no longer offers COVID-19 tests. When it comes to interactions with anti-vax peers, friends or families, patience is key.
One study has shown that talking about the consequences of not getting vaccinated in real terms has the potential to encourage more vaccinations. If you are educated on the topic, you will have the mental arsenal to educate others as well.
The Daily Targum's editorials represent the views of the majority of the 153rd editorial board. Columns, cartoons and letters do not necessarily reflect the views of the Targum Publishing Company or its staff.
