Combatting Covid-19 Misinformation

Soon after the Coronavirus Pandemic broke out,  so did misinformation, disinformation, and conspiracy theories about the origin, scale, prevention, and treatments of the virus.  Social media helped to spread misinformation far and wide.  Fortunately, some of the big companies (Google, FB, Instagram, Amazon, etc.) have stepped up to limit the spread of fake news, directing people to more reliable sources such as the CDC.

Did you know that there's a specific term for misinformation in the age of Covid-19? 

• The World Health Organization (WHO) refers to it as Coronavirus Infodemic in their situation reports.  

Fortunately, YOU can help stop the spread of Coronavirus misinformation. Read on ...

NewsGuard offers "nutrition labels" for news sites, where they rate credibility and transparency.    They are paying special attention to Coronavirus Misinformation, classifying it into 3 categories:

1. False Claims
2. Phony Cures
3. Downplaying the seriousness of Corona

NewsGuard's Step-by-Step Guide to Evaluating Claims (Similar to The CRAAP Test):

1. What is the source?  Go deeper: What is the Source's Source.
2. What do other independent sources say? 
3. Check the date:  Is it current?
4. What's the motivation behind Coronavirus misinformation?

Common motivations for misinformation include:

          -- Are they selling something? (Ex: Miracle cures, disaster supplies)

          -- Is it to get more clicks for advertising?

          -- Racial - to blame the origin or spread on a particular ethnic group

          -- Political

Check your own biases.  Are you reading only what confirms your own beliefs?

And beware of snappy graphs and charts.  Data visualization can be skewed to tell whatever story is required for some of the nefarious motivations listed above, not necessarily the facts.

Wikipedia offers a whole catalog of  misinformation related to 2019-20 Coronavirus Pandemic.

For a more thoughtful article on how health professionals can battle Covid-19 myths and misinformation, see this recent article on Medscape.  

* Questions or comments? Contact Your Ascension Wisconsin Librarians: 

 Michele Matucheski        Kellee Selden