Fact-checking can reduce vaccine myths 3 minute read A UC Davis study showed that those exposed to fact-checking labels were more likely to develop more positive attitudes toward vaccines. Jingwen Zhang/Courtesy illustration. Support Local Journalism Shares Social media misinformation can negatively influence people’s attitudes about vaccine safety and effectiveness, but credible organizations — such as research universities and health institutions — can play a pivotal role in debunking myths with simple tags that link to factual information, UC Davis researchers suggest in a new study. Researchers found that fact-check tags located immediately below or near a post can generate more positive attitudes toward vaccines than misinformation alone, and perceived source expertise makes a difference.