Really, we can blame the politicians and mass media for this, as there are merits to discussing the viability of herd immunity, what it would entail, and weighing its merits compared to shutdowns and social distancing. Discourse has become so inflamed (on purpose: it drives clicks), there's a tendency to look at science through the lens of politics.

I have a few friends working on startups/solutions to this (non-sensationalist reporting, fact-checking apps, etc.), but I personally think the cat's already out of the bag.