Reports of anti-vaccine preachers spur weekly to use its 'bully pulpit' and forswear 'neutrality in times of moral crisis'

Crittenden County, Kentucky (Wikipedia map)

Some newspapers are making extra efforts to increase vaccination against the coronavirus, by fighting misinformation with the facts. Chris Evans, the editor and publisher of the only paper in Crittenden County, Kentucky, population 9,000, reported to colleagues what he and his wife Allison have done:

"The Crittenden Press has published a first-person article from a local M.D. encouraging vaccines; an article about a nurse practitioner whose husband was hospitalized and unvaccinated and she changed her tune on the vaccine in a hurry; and we have had a couple of recent op-ed pieces, too. Allison wrote a very well-received column a couple of weeks ago comparing it to smallpox and polio." (See below.)

The Crittenden Press spotlighted the Covid-19 deaths of a local couple.

"Last week, we began a front-page feature where businesses and/or agencies, including local government, are encouraged to tell us how many of their folks are vaccinated. Then we publish what they tell us. City council went first. We have had good response to that so far. Today I attended the funeral of a husband and wife, both unvaccinated, who died last week. The wife previously worked for us for several years."

Evans concludes, "If Covid hasn’t hit your doorstep yet, it’s coming, and we have heard about pastors who are preaching against the vaccine from the pulpit. I told Allison today, they may have a big audience, but ours is bigger. You probably know that I am a church-going conservative, but it’s time to use my bully pulpit. I have been somewhat reluctant until now to stick my nose squarely into the middle of this, but I think it is time. I am reminded of the phrase in Dante’s Furnace that 'The darkest places of hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis.'"

Allison Mick-Evans

The column by Allison Evans, headlined "Polio to Covid," noted the "greater public acceptance of and willingness to receive the polio inoculation" in the 1950s. "One of the reasons, historians say, was that Americans had a deep respect for science. A chorus of social media opinions did not exist back then to confuse the public. A campaign of disinformation and skepticism about the Covid vaccine has clearly created pockets of deep-rooted resistance, doubt and insecurity." She addressed one source of doubt, the much quicker development of Covid vaccines, which "was the result of years and years of research in the scientific archives on SARS vaccines. Because Covid and SARS are both coronaviruses diseases, scientists has a head start on dealing with the new strain, which led to the relatively quick creation of a Covid-19 vaccine."

Evans concluded, "I understand the fear of the unknown. It’s a weakness I share. Being fearful of making the wrong decision is what creates hesitancy, sometimes with serious consequences. But we trusted scientists in the 50s to protect our children from polio. Science worked. And now it’s time to let science protect us again. The rollout of a life-saving vaccine is something we might only see once or twice in our lifetime. Hopefully no more. Folks in the '50s who trusted the process of eradicating polio should be our guide. It’s time we do the same so our kids and grandkids won’t live with Covid-19, but instead will need to Google it."

The Rural Blog invites other editors to share their recent special efforts to battle the pandemic. Email al.cross@uky.edu and heather.chapman@uky.edu.