Vaccine-Skeptical News Article Was Facebook's Most Popular Post Earlier This Year

The article suggested that a doctor's death was "possibly the nation’s first death linked to the vaccine." The vaccine's role was later ruled inconclusive.

The most popular link viewed on Facebook earlier this year was an article that suggested a Florida doctor may have died from a coronavirus vaccine, according to a new report from the social media giant amid growing concerns that Facebook is enabling the spread of COVID-19 misinformation. The article, which amassed more than 53.8 million views between Jan. 1 and March 31, suggested that the doctor’s death was “possibly the nation’s first death linked to the vaccine.” The article originally appeared in the South Florida Sun Sentinel in January, and was widely shared by the Chicago Tribune on Facebook. The story was later updated after the vaccine’s role in the 56-year-old man’s death was ruled inconclusive by a medical examiner.