Ideas worth spreading

Why we need to fight misinformation about vaccines

2,237,148 views |

Ethan Lindenberger |

TEDxMidAtlantic

• April 2019

Ethan Lindenberger never got vaccinated as a kid. So one day, he went on Reddit and asked a simple question: "Where do I go to get vaccinated?" The post went viral, landing Lindenberger in the middle of a heated debate about vaccination and, ultimately, in front of a US Senate committee. Less than a year later, the high school senior reports back on his unexpected time in the spotlight and a new movement he's leading to fight misinformation and advocate for scientific truth.

Ethan Lindenberger never got vaccinated as a kid. So one day, he went on Reddit and asked a simple question: "Where do I go to get vaccinated?" The post went viral, landing Lindenberger in the middle of a heated debate about vaccination and, ultimately, in front of a US Senate committee. Less than a year later, the high school senior reports back on his unexpected time in the spotlight and a new movement he's leading to fight misinformation and advocate for scientific truth.

This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxMidAtlantic, an independent event. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

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Help fund organizations combating misinformation around vaccines.

About the speaker

Ethan Lindenberger

Ethan Lindenberger

Science advocate

See speaker profile

Ethan Lindenberger advocates for science.

Neil Postman | Penguin Books, 2005 | Book

Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business

This book perfectly outlines the problems we face with media that can lead to misinformation. In my opinion, it's the best read to better understand how our culture has changed to allow misinformation to spread so widely through the internet.

Julien Smith | The Domino Project, 2014 | Book

Great book about pushing yourself into uncomfortable situations to become a better and more adaptable person.

Jamie Ducharme | TIME, 2019 | Article

"'Propagating These Lies Is Dangerous.' Ohio Teen Vaccinated Against His Mother's Wishes Calls for End to Misinformation"

This article explains my story well, along with the testimony I gave. It's good for some context on who I am and what I've done.

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This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxMidAtlantic, an independent event. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Read more about TEDx.

Help fund organizations combating misinformation around vaccines.