Dying to Be Wrong: The Price of COVID Misinformation

“I saw it on social media” is a statement often heard by community leaders trying to fight the pandemic. In episode 4 of “Dying to Be Wrong,” the final installment of a four-part mini-documentary series, NBCLX storyteller Cody Broadway explores how social media changed how some residents perceived medical advice and the divide it created among the close-knit community of San Angelo, recently the fastest growing Texas city for COVID-19 cases.

“Faith over fear” is a common expression among residents in San Angelo, which was considered the fastest growing Texas city for COVID-19 cases in September 2021. In episode 3 of “Dying to Be Wrong,” NBCLX storyteller Cody Broadway tells stories of faith and fear – from a vaccinated preacher’s death to the stress funeral homes and priests have suffered after a rise in cases.

In September 2021, San Angelo was considered the fastest growing Texas city for COVID-19 cases. How did we get here? In Episode 2 of “Dying to Be Wrong,” NBCLX storyteller Cody Broadway looks back at the past 18 months in San Angelo — which started with parking lot prayers for healthcare heroes and ended with accusations and hostility toward local health officials.

What does it mean to take responsibility for yourself, your family and your community? How does that change when faced with a deadly threat you can’t see but you can spread? For the residents of San Angelo, Texas, defining personal responsibility can mean the difference between life and death. On one side, Caleb Wallace who believes public health is taking away his freedoms. While the family of Zach Shutterfield, seriously burned in an arson fire and at severe risk of COVID, can only hope their neighbors do the right thing.

What’s the ultimate price paid for COVID misinformation? NBCLX Storyteller Cody Broadway goes back to his hometown of San Angelo, a small Texas city that gained the unwanted distinction of being the fastest-growing city in the state for new COVID-19 cases, to explore an America divided by COVID-19.