Sarah Bennett
A meme shared in North America features a fabricated quote and a misleading photo of women wearing anti-vaccine shirts. The photo was posted on a New York clinic's Facebook page, and the original image showed health workers wearing pro-vaccine shirts. The quote is signed by Gayle Gregg, RN, but there is no evidence of a registered nurse by that name in Canada or the US. This incident is one of many examples of vaccine misinformation on social media, which has been propagated by a small number of influential figures and has led to real-world consequences, including violence and fraud.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of women in the photo | 9 |
| Profession of the women in the photo | Nurses, doctor, physician assistant |
| Slogans on the T-shirts | "Vaccines cause infertility", "vaccines cause death", "vaccines cause seizures" |
| Original slogan on the T-shirts | "Vaccines cause adults" |
| Date of posting | July 2019 |
| Original source of the photo | Facebook page of Legacy Pediatrics, a clinic in Rochester, New York |
| Name of the organizer of the photo | Kate Shand |
| Name signed on the statement | Gayle Gregg, RN (Registered Nurse) |
| Quote in the statement | "Brilliant nurses in the profession for 20+ years are changing their views on vaccines." |
| Fact-checking outcome | Misleading and doctored photo with a fabricated quote |
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What You'll Learn
The photo was doctored to show anti-vaccine slogans
A Facebook post featuring two photos of two different groups of women wearing t-shirts with anti-vaccine slogans was shared hundreds of times in July 2019. The post was misleading, as one of the photos was doctored to show anti-vaccine slogans. The original photo showed real health workers wearing t-shirts with pro-vaccine slogans. The women in the doctored photo are not all nurses, despite the post's caption, which was signed by "Gayle Gregg, RN". There is no evidence of a registered nurse by that name in Canada or the United States.
The original photo was posted on February 13, 2019, on the Facebook page of Legacy Pediatrics, a clinic in Rochester, New York. The photo showed a group of women wearing t-shirts with the slogan, "Vaccines cause adults". Kate Shand, one of the women pictured, said she organized the photo because she loved the slogan. The photo received a lot of attention, including from anti-vaccine Facebook users.
The doctored photo was shared by several Twitter accounts that regularly post content critical of vaccines. The photo was also shared on Reddit, with the oldest publication date identified as June 2018. The meme featuring the doctored photo and the fabricated quote is just one example of the many misleading and false claims about vaccines that have been spread on social media.
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The photo was originally of pro-vaccine health workers
A Facebook post featuring two photos of two different groups of women wearing t-shirts with anti-vaccine slogans like "vaccines cause infertility," "vaccines cause death," or "vaccines cause seizures" was shared hundreds of times in July 2019. The post was misleading as one of the photos was doctored. The original photo showed health workers wearing pro-vaccine slogan t-shirts. The altered image was captioned with a fabricated statement signed "Gayle Gregg, RN" (for Registered Nurse). There is no evidence of a registered nurse by that name in Canada or the United States.
The original photo was posted on February 13, 2019, on the Facebook page of Legacy Pediatrics, a clinic in Rochester, New York. Kate Shand, who is pictured in the photo, told AFP that she organized the photo because she "saw a meme online that had the statement 'Vaccines cause adults' and I loved it." Shand added that they were initially afraid due to the backlash they received, but they eventually chose to ignore the negative comments.
The anti-vaccine movement has been exploited by extremists and conspiracy theorists to recruit new members, spread misinformation, and mainstream their beliefs. Social media has been a powerful tool for these groups, with just 12 people being responsible for most of the anti-vaccine hoaxes on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. These influential figures often promote "natural health" and sell supplements and books.
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The quote from Gayle Gregg, RN is fabricated
A meme shared in North America features two photos of women wearing anti-vaccine t-shirts, with a statement signed "Gayle Gregg, RN" (for Registered Nurse). The quote states that "Brilliant nurses in the profession for 20+ years are changing their views on vaccines". However, there is no evidence that a nurse named Gayle Gregg exists in Canada or the United States. Nursys, a database of 4.8 million nurses in the United States, shows no result for a Registered Nurse named Gayle Gregg. Additionally, searches in the nurse registries for each of Canada's provinces and territories yielded no results for a Registered Nurse by that name.
The meme is misleading in several ways. Firstly, while some of the women in the photo are indeed nurses, the original photo showed health workers wearing pro-vaccine t-shirts. The photo was posted on February 13, 2019, on the Facebook page of Legacy Pediatrics, a clinic in Rochester, New York. Kate Shand, one of the women pictured, explained that she organized the photo as a reaction to the "Vaccines cause adults" t-shirts, which she had seen in a meme online.
Furthermore, at least two of the women in the second photo have been identified as working in fields unrelated to the public health system. They are based in the Saint Petersburg area in Florida and work as an accountant and a senior partner at an alternative health company, according to their LinkedIn profiles.
In conclusion, the quote from Gayle Gregg, RN, is likely fabricated as there is no evidence of a registered nurse by that name in the United States or Canada. The meme featuring the quote and the photos of the women with anti-vaccine t-shirts is misleading and spreads misinformation about vaccine safety.
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The photo was shared widely on Facebook
A Facebook post featuring a photo of nine women wearing anti-vaccine t-shirts was shared hundreds of times in July 2019. The women in the photo were wearing t-shirts bearing anti-vaccine slogans such as "vaccines cause infertility", "vaccines cause death", or "vaccines cause seizures". The post was captioned with a statement signed "Gayle Gregg, RN" (for Registered Nurse), a self-proclaimed hospital nurse with 25 years of experience. The quote claimed that "brilliant nurses in the profession for 20+ years are changing their views on vaccines".
The photo was posted on February 13, 2019, on the Facebook page of Legacy Pediatrics, a clinic in Rochester, New York. The post gathered a lot of attention, including from the media and anti-vaccine Facebook users. The photo was also shared on Twitter, with several accounts that regularly post content critical of vaccines using it as a header image.
The meme is misleading in several ways. Firstly, the photo has been doctored; the original shows real health workers wearing pro-vaccine t-shirts. Secondly, there is no evidence of a registered nurse named Gayle Gregg in Canada or the United States. At least two of the women in the photo work in fields unrelated to the public health system. While some of the women in the photo are indeed nurses, a reverse image search reveals that the original photo featured the slogan "Vaccines cause adults".
The widespread sharing of this misleading meme on Facebook and other social media platforms highlights the impact of influential figures and groups spreading vaccine misinformation. According to research, just 12 people are responsible for the majority of anti-vaccine claims on social media, including well-known anti-vaccine activists, alternative health entrepreneurs, and physicians. These individuals often promote "natural health" and sell supplements and books.
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Anti-vaccine claims on social media often come from a small group of influential figures
A meme shared in North America features a doctored photo of women wearing anti-vaccine shirts and a fabricated quote from a nurse. The photo was posted on Facebook in February 2019 and was shared hundreds of times in July 2019. The fabricated quote is signed "Gayle Gregg, RN" and claims that "Brilliant nurses in the profession for 20+ years are changing their views on vaccines." However, there is no evidence of a registered nurse by that name in Canada or the United States. A reverse image search revealed that the original photo showed health workers wearing pro-vaccine slogans.
This incident is just one example of how anti-vaccine claims on social media often originate from a small group of influential figures. Research has shown that the majority of false claims about COVID-19 vaccines on social media can be traced back to just 12 people, dubbed the "Disinformation Dozen." These individuals are well-known anti-vaccine activists, alternative health entrepreneurs, and physicians who promote "natural health" and often sell supplements and books. They have spread misleading claims and conspiracy theories about vaccines, such as the long-discredited idea that vaccines are linked to autism. Social media platforms have been criticized for their ineffective responses to these accounts, with Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter failing to act on 95% of COVID and vaccine misinformation reported to them.
The impact of these influential figures is significant, as they produce 65% of the shares of anti-vaccine misinformation on social media platforms. This has contributed to vaccine hesitancy, particularly among healthcare workers, which can have serious consequences in the fight against the pandemic. As the vaccine rollout reaches a critical stage, these 12 individuals stand to have an outsized impact on the outcome. While some of their accounts have been removed or restricted, several remain active, continuing to spread harmful and false information.
It is important to note that the spread of misinformation is not limited to these 12 individuals. Other studies have examined the prevalence of misleading vaccine information on YouTube and other social media platforms, finding varying results. However, the existence of the "Disinformation Dozen" underscores the need for social media companies to take more effective action against accounts that propagate harmful and false claims about vaccines.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, the photo is fake. The original photo showed health workers wearing pro-vaccine shirts.
The pro-vaccine shirts said, "Vaccines cause adults."
The fake photo was captioned with a statement signed, "Gayle Gregg, RN" (for Registered Nurse).
The statement said, "Brilliant nurses in the profession for 20+ years are changing their views on vaccines."
