The New Yorker Radio Hour

A Family Divided Over the COVID-19 Vaccine


Listen Later

Across the country, COVID-19 vaccines are becoming available for teen-agers. But most states still require parental consent for minors to receive the shot. David Remnick spoke with a teen-ager who asked that we call him Aaron Williams. He is desperate to be vaccinated, but his parents are skeptical. “We waited three months, and, during the span of that time, they started going through all sorts of conspiracy rabbit holes,” reading fabrications about mRNA vaccines’ changing the recipient’s genetic code, he said. “They pushed it back to six months, to a year, to two years, until they just said, ‘You’re never getting the vaccine.’ ” Misinformation continues to pose a public-health risk around the world, but for this family the stakes are also personal. “I’m missing out on friends’ gatherings and other things at school,” Williams told Remnick. “But they’re saying that I’m hurting them because I’m causing stress.” Plus, Naomi Fry on a turning point for reality TV. As “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” comes to a close after almost a decade and a half, Fry talks with David Remnick about “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,” “90 Day Fiancé,” and other shows that look at real social issues in unique, dramatic ways. 

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The New Yorker Radio HourBy WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

  • 4.2
  • 4.2
  • 4.2
  • 4.2
  • 4.2

4.2

5,556 ratings


More shows like The New Yorker Radio Hour

View all
On the Media by WNYC Studios

On the Media

9,183 Listeners

The Book Review by The New York Times

The Book Review

3,878 Listeners

Radiolab by WNYC Studios

Radiolab

43,916 Listeners

This American Life by This American Life

This American Life

90,535 Listeners

Fresh Air by NPR

Fresh Air

37,835 Listeners

The New Yorker: Fiction by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

The New Yorker: Fiction

3,334 Listeners

The Political Scene | The New Yorker by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

The Political Scene | The New Yorker

3,895 Listeners

The New Yorker: Poetry by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

The New Yorker: Poetry

510 Listeners

The New Yorker: The Writer's Voice - New Fiction from The New Yorker by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

The New Yorker: The Writer's Voice - New Fiction from The New Yorker

2,117 Listeners

In The Dark by The New Yorker

In The Dark

27,626 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

110,870 Listeners

Radio Atlantic by The Atlantic

Radio Atlantic

2,256 Listeners

Interesting Times with Ross Douthat by New York Times Opinion

Interesting Times with Ross Douthat

6,944 Listeners

The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

The Ezra Klein Show

15,512 Listeners

The Interview by The New York Times

The Interview

1,488 Listeners

Critics at Large | The New Yorker by The New Yorker

Critics at Large | The New Yorker

616 Listeners

The Opinions by The New York Times Opinion

The Opinions

471 Listeners