An Exploration of How Fake News is Taking over Social Media and Putting Public Health at Risk

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This article reports on a small study which attempted to identify the types and sources of COVID‐19 misinformation.

The authors identified and analysed 1225 pieces of COVID‐19 fake news stories taken from fact‐checkers, myth‐busters and COVID‐19 dashboards.

The study concludes that the COVID‐19 infodemic is full of false claims, half backed conspiracy theories and pseudoscientific therapies, regarding the diagnosis, treatment, prevention, origin and spread of the virus. Fake news is pervasive in social media, putting public health at risk. The scale of the crisis and ubiquity of the misleading information require that scientists, health information professionals and journalists exercise their professional responsibility to help the general public identify fake news stories. They should ensure that accurate information is published and disseminated.

Source: An Exploration of How Fake News is Taking over Social Media and Putting Public Health at Risk

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    How to Protect Yourself in the Infodemic?

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    Sharing unverified information during the COVID-19 pandemic can be dangerous, unhealthy, and make our life more confusing. UNESCO and the World Health Organization are calling out this Infodemic and calling on you to be on the frontline for truth. It’s easy. Watch the video for the simple actions we can all take on how to identify false information, verify trusted sources, and help ourselves and loved ones to stay safe.

    Source: How to Protect Yourself in the Infodemic?

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      Fighting an Epidemic of Misinformation: The Importance of Science and Learning in Dealing with Coronavirus

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      This article states that a key part of the problem of coronavirus misinformation is that the public is effectively presented with various sources of information, through different digital media platforms, sometimes from anonymous sources and other times from figures claiming to have some degree of authority or credibility. It can be difficult to discern fact from fiction. And most worryingly this happens with alarming regularity, and spurious claims can gain incredible traction with huge swathes of the public in matter of days, even hours.

      The upshot is that evidence-based science is more important than ever. In the absence of a vaccine or validated antiviral treatments, information and public health measures are the only tools we have at our disposal to stop transmission of the virus, prevent deaths and keep our health systems running.Online surveys revealed that information overload and conflicting guidance are among the biggest concerns for the public during the current coronavirus outbreak.

      Source: Fighting an Epidemic of Misinformation: The Importance of Science and Learning in Dealing with Coronavirus

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        Fake News Can Be Deadly. Here’s How To Spot It

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        This blog was designed as a comic strip, and explains how to detect misinformation about COVID-19.

        Source: Fake News Can Be Deadly. Here’s How To Spot It

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          Coronavirus: The Human Cost of Virus Misinformation

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          A BBC team tracking coronavirus misinformation has found links to assaults, arsons and deaths. And experts say the potential for indirect harm caused by rumours, conspiracy theories and bad health information could be much bigger.

          Source: Coronavirus: The Human Cost of Virus Misinformation

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            How to Fight an Infodemic: The Four Pillars of Infodemic Management

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            The World Health Organization (WHO) is presenting a framework for managing the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infodemic. Infodemiology is now acknowledged by public health organizations and the WHO as an important emerging scientific field and critical area of practice during a pandemic.

            From the perspective of being the first “infodemiolgist” who originally coined the term almost two decades ago, the author posts four pillars of infodemic management:

            • Information monitoring (infoveillance)
            • Building eHealth Literacy and science literacy capacity
            • Encouraging knowledge refinement and quality improvement processes such as fact checking and peer-review
            • Accurate and timely knowledge translation, minimizing distorting factors such as political or commercial influences

            Source: How to Fight an Infodemic: The Four Pillars of Infodemic Management

              Views 992

              Framework for Managing the COVID-19 Infodemic: Methods and Results of an Online, Crowdsourced WHO Technical Consultation

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              A World Health Organization (WHO) technical consultation on responding to the infodemic related to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic was held, entirely online, to crowdsource suggested actions for a framework for infodemic management.

              The first version of this framework proposes five action areas in which WHO Member States and actors within society can apply, according to their mandate, an infodemic management approach adapted to national contexts and practices. Responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and the related infodemic require swift, regular, systematic, and coordinated action from multiple sectors of society and government. It remains crucial that we promote trusted information and fight misinformation, thereby helping save lives.

              Source: Framework for Managing the COVID-19 Infodemic: Methods and Results of an Online, Crowdsourced WHO Technical Consultation

                Views 596

                Nine Tips for Spotting Misinformation about the Coronavirus

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                This article lists nine tips for staying calm and informed when hearing information about coronavirus.

                The nine tips are:

                1. Does the story play on your emotions or present facts using neutral language?
                2. Is it too good to be true?
                3. What is the date of the story?
                4. Who is the author?
                5. Does the information come from a credible source?
                6. Does the story use or abuse data?
                7. Does it show causation or correlation?
                8. Does the story talk about cost and availability?
                9. Of mice or men?

                Source: Nine Tips for Spotting Misinformation about the Coronavirus

                  Views 814

                  Health-protective Behaviour, Social Media Usage and Conspiracy Belief during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency

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                  Social media platforms have long been recognised as major disseminators of health misinformation. Many previous studies have found a negative association between health-protective behaviours and belief in the specific form of misinformation popularly known as ‘conspiracy theory’. Concerns have arisen regarding the spread of COVID-19 conspiracy theories on social media.

                  All three studies found a negative relationship between COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs and COVID-19 health-protective behaviors, and a positive relationship between COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs and use of social media as a source of information about COVID-19. Studies 2 and 3 also found a negative relationship between COVID-19 health-protective behaviors and use of social media as a source of information, and Study 3 found a positive relationship between health-protective behaviors and use of broadcast media as a source of information.

                  The conclusion of the authors is that, when used as an information source, unregulated social media may present a health risk that is partly but not wholly reducible to their role as disseminators of health-related conspiracy beliefs.

                  Source: Health-protective Behaviour, Social Media Usage and Conspiracy Belief during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency

                    Views 853

                    #infohygiene in Times of Pandemics

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                    The world is dealing with a new and challenging crisis with fast-evolving science, combined with a staggering flow of information, the first global “infodemic”.

                    And while we are forced to keep a distance from our fellow human beings, the virus has also shown us just how connected we all are. Information is forwarded and then forwarded again, breaking news with new cases, mitigation measurements, unforeseen effects and encouraging breakthroughs, have us jumping between devices and screens. Some suffer from information fatigue, others risk being left out of the loop, but everyone is equally struggling to navigate and find the right information that is relevant to their context.

                    Internews has been working on rumours, misinformation and disinformation for many years, including in the Ebola-response in 2014 where we launched our first rumour-tracking project, a methodology we continue to use, adapt and improve in humanitarian responses around the world. It also helps us grapple with fake news and disinformation when it infiltrates the mainstream media.

                    The information ecosystem is now truly global, which can be overwhelming. Local media are uniquely positioned to be a bridge between science and daily life. The media can make sense of the science for their audiences, translating facts into truly useful information. The media can also connect the questions from those living within their community, with the services and advice from those who are trying to improve their lives.

                    Misinformation and rumours thrive when people feel ignored, when the information they get does not take into account the reality they live in. Disinformation gets traction, when it manages to speak a language people prefer, rather than a language they understand, when it speaks to their concerns, their fears and their hopes.

                    We need to get our facts straight, that’s a basic rule of journalism. But more than just providing facts, we need to be sure we understand why a half-truth was believed in the first place.

                    There’s no magic formula, no cure, no vaccine against misinformation. But, with the following tips and tricks, journalists can play their part in slowing the spread of misinformation.

                    Source: #infohygiene in Times of Pandemics

                      Views 625