Background Achieving vaccine-derived herd immunity depends on public acceptance of
vaccination, which in turn relies on people's understanding of its risks and benefits. The
fundamental objective of public health messaging on vaccines is therefore the clear and
concise communication of often complex information, and increasingly the countering of
misinformation. The primary outlet shaping societal understanding is the mainstream online
news media. There was widespread media coverage of the multiple vaccines that were …

Background: Achieving herd immunity through vaccination depends upon the public's
acceptance, which in turn relies on their understanding of its risks and benefits. The
fundamental objective of public health messaging on vaccines is therefore the clear
communication of often complex information and, increasingly, the countering of
misinformation. The primary outlet shaping public understanding is mainstream online news
media, where coverage of COVID-19 vaccines was widespread. Objective: We used text …