How Misinformation Plays Into Outbreaks: A Case Study of Measles in Samoa

As part of his two-day visit to Elon University, Atlanta News First investigative reporter Andy Pierrotti shares his work examining how misinformation played a role in a 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa that killed 83 people, mostly children.

With support from the Pulitzer Center, Atlanta News First (WANF-TV, CH 46) produced Tragedy in Paradise, a documentary examining the outbreak in Samoa. 

Pierrotti will be in conversation with Elon’s Broadcast News Director Fiona McAllister as they consider the reporting from Samoa and solutions to combat vaccine skepticism and avoid preventable outbreaks. His reporting also examines declining childhood vaccination rates in the United States. 

The community session on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, is part of a two-day visit by Pierrotti to Elon University, a Pulitzer Center Campus Consortium partner.

In addition to the community session, Pierrotti will meet with a range of journalism students and faculty while on campus, including in courses on investigative reporting, digital news production, interviewing skills, and the evolution and importance of journalism as part of a free society.