In May 2016, Roberto Burioni, a virologist at Vita-Salute San Raffaele University in Milan, Italy, was asked to appear on a popular TV talk show to face off against two opponents of vaccines—a former DJ, Red Ronnie, and an actress and TV personality, Eleonora Brigliadori. The host gave most of the air time to the Italian celebrities. Then, with just a few minutes left, he turned to Burioni.

Burioni realized he didn't have time to make the usual arguments about statistics and scientific uncertainty, so he kept his message simple: "The Earth is round, gasoline is flammable, and vaccines are safe and effective," he said. "All the rest are dangerous lies."