Public health wise, 2025 is off to a rough start. Current data shows that H5N1 Bird flu has spread from millions of birds to nearly 1,000 cows and 69 humans. Newly-minted United States Health and Human Services Director and outspoken vaccine skeptic, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., used his first week in office to scuttle a successful CDC flu vaccine campaign just as the U.S. experiences its worst flu season in nearly 30 years. Measles, declared eliminated in the U.S. 25 years ago, has sickened more than 124 people, mostly children, in Texas across nine counties. Tragically, on Feb. 26, the first-known death from measles of a school-aged child was reported.
Amidst this worrisome news, immunizations for flu and measles, if not yet bird flu, are still widely available. How can health communicators navigate these challenging times?
Basic scientific understanding is dangerously low. From the COVID-19 pandemic, we know that more, not less, information about health saves lives. The public needs statistics and science, but some information has already been removed from the Center for Disease Control's website. When health becomes politicized, disease can spread even faster than disinformation.
Communicators need a new playbook, in an era when emotion and distrust can win out over traditionally trusted messengers. While there's still work to do on how we need to pivot, PR pros need to work harder to understand the audience, and craft messages that resonate emotionally—more than intellectually. Here are some suggestions:
Reclaiming Trust: Finding New Messengers
According to a 2024 study by the Pew Research Center, most American voters distrust institutions. Academia and public health agencies like the CDC and National Institute for Health have lost their influence over significant portions of the population. Communicators must recognize this, and find alternative messengers to bridge the gap.
Now the task is to identify and elevate voices that resonate with skeptical audiences. These should be trusted figures within communities—faith leaders, local influencers—folks who can connect on a human level. Their credibility with large swaths of the public often surpasses that of institutional experts.
Consider partnerships with straight-talking, non-academic influencers who can incorporate accurate health information into their content. Messages need to move beyond just facts and data, connecting emotionally and culturally with diverse audiences.
For example, this month the African American Clergy Collective of Tennessee (ACCT) is organizing clergy to educate congregations about critical issues including gun violence prevention and healthcare equity. On a larger and flashier scale, in 2023, Pfizer created a commercial with celebrities from the worlds of media, music and sports to promote COVID-19 booster immunizations. NFL superstar Travis Kelce’s charming smile and his vaccinated, muscular arm likely resonated with millions of people who may have tuned out briefings from public health experts.
Empowering, Not Dictating: Reframing Public Health Messages
People don’t want to be told what to do, even if it’s for their own good. This is a fundamental challenge for public health communication. The key is to move away from paternalistic messaging and towards a framework of personal choice and empowerment, fueled by timely and thorough information.
Hawaii’s governor, Josh Green, wrote about the success of his state’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign, which was largely informed by his experience trying to help the U.S. territory of Samoa during a deadly measles outbreak in 2019. Samoan vaccination rates had fallen, fueled in large part, Gov. Green contended, by misinformation. By giving the people of Hawaii a steady diet of information, facts and updates—showing them why vaccines would help them, rather than just telling them so— Gov. Green believes the state’s population bought into the immunization campaign.
A shift from traditional public health communications to be sure, messages should emphasize the benefits of making informed decisions that align with individual values and directly affect people’s daily priorities. Research also shows that vaccine messaging focused on avoiding negative outcomes, such as missing school or work due to illness, resonates more with people than creating positive outcomes, such as a healthier community.
So instead of saying, “Vaccinate your children to prevent deadly diseases in the community,” maybe the message should say, “Your kids will miss less school and activities if they can avoid getting sick.”
Navigating the Anti-Expert Sentiment: Emotional Resonance Over Rational Arguments
In the battle of facts versus expertly stoked anger, PR pros must acknowledge that rational arguments often fall short. Simplicity is usually the more effective political communications approach, and it’s an easy flex to tell people what they want to hear.
Communicators need to adapt by crafting messages that resonate emotionally while staying grounded in their truth, not just ours. This means understanding the pain points of audiences and addressing them with solutions that feel tangible and relevant—showing the empathy that is essential to gaining trust.
Lee McIntyre, author of the book “How to Talk to a Science Denier,” recommends listening, not lecturing.
“Having the right attitude is the only thing that gives hope of success,” McIntyre said.
Challenging the “Anti-Elite” Narrative: Reframing the Value of Expertise
Today’s anti-elite moment defies traditional class distinctions. In some circles, professional degrees are suspect, not respected. To counter this, communicators must reframe expertise as a tool for empowerment rather than control.
This involves humanizing experts, showcasing their genuine concern for people’s well-being, and emphasizing the tangible benefits their knowledge brings to everyday lives. Organizations need to shift the narrative from “experts telling us what to do” to “these folks from our community can help us solve our problems.”
The University of Nebraska’s Department of Counseling launched a Trauma-Informed Peer Advocate program, equipping high school students with counseling, intervention and advocacy skills to help their peers struggling with mental health challenges. In this case, the experts helping teenagers are other teenagers, making them potentially more approachable than doctors and counselors in positions of authority.
A Call to Action for Communicators
As a communications expert passionate about public health, I believe in the power of effective messaging to change hearts and minds. But today’s landscape is an alarm bell that if we don’t evolve, and quickly, we will go extinct. The stakes are too high to rely on outdated strategies or assume that facts alone will carry the day.
If communicators can adapt their approaches, embrace new messengers, and connect with audiences on an emotional level, they can recapture trust, inspire action, and protect public health in an era of rising anti-expert sentiment. The future of our communities and our planet depends on it.
Jennifer Hahn is Chief Client Officer at Fenton.