‘Today Show’ faces backlash after tweet asking if vaccines are safe

One of the “Today Show’s” social media accounts tweeted out a link to an article that had Twitter in an uproar over the way the caption was framed.

The tweet, which was quickly deleted, read, “Are vaccines safe? Jessica Biel reignites debate.” Users on the platform were quick to pounce, attacking the show for the flippant nature of the tweet.

Actress Jessica Biel has faced criticism for lobbying against a California bill that would put a state official in charge of granting exemptions for vaccines instead of doctors, although she clarified Thursday that she is not an anti-vaccination activist.

Despite the headline, which seems to question the efficacy of vaccines, the article it links to is actually a list of common myths associated with vaccines.

The tweet got “ratioed” on the social media outlet, which is when there is a disproportionate amount of comments to likes on the tweet. Having a higher ratio of comments typically shows that the tweet is controversial. Before it was deleted, at one point the tweet had more than 1,800 comments and just 38 likes.

Even after it was deleted, the “Today Show” was still facing blowback on the social media outlet.

The “Today Show” account that sent out the original tweet, followed up by noting that the previous tweet had an “irresponsibly presented headline.”