The World Health Organisation says that fake coronavirus claims are causing an "infodemic".
Anxiety surrounding the coronavirus pandemic is proving to be fertile ground for misinformation about the disease. Its exponential spread via multiple social media channels and networks include:
- conspiracy theorists blaming the malignant forces of 5G
- fake cures and hoax warnings
- copy-pasted lists of tips that may contain bad advice, often from a "friend of a friend".
At the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ our in house experts from , Trending and Reality Check have come together to form the new . Their job is to spot and investigate misinformation as well as verifying the facts around coronavirus.
Their combined knowledge of social media and analysis means they can provide invaluable support to service outlets and provide forensically researched information to news outlets and audiences.
Top tip 1: Verify the source and check its history
Look further afield:
- Is the story being shared in other regions?
- Is the same image being used, purporting to be from a variety of different countries?
- With viral videos and social posts use tools such as to trace its origin and spread
- Be sceptical of "friends of friends" even when they claim to know someone in authority such as a doctor, politician or nurse.
Assistant editor showed how ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Monitoring's global reach and constant watch means they can spot inconsistencies and make links between recurring stories. A recent example was Iranβs Covid-19 detector which was quickly debunked as a re-purposed fake bomb scanner from over a decade ago.
Top tip 2: Transparency will increase media literacy
Show your workings and involve the audience, donβt just give a de facto answer. Reporter described how ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Trending specialises in finding where stories grow on social media. Closed Facebook and WhatsApp groups are where coronavirus misinformation is currently thriving and spreading.
Marianna emphasised the importance of tracking back to discover how a story originates in order to extend a debunk's reach:
- Revealing the anatomy of how misinformation starts, spreads and mutates empowers people to become "data detectives" themselves
- Each of us can take responsibility for stopping the spread of misinformation online and this will help understand common red flags
- Behaviourally it's difficult for people to accept theyβve got things wrong so it's about changing peopleβs perspectives. Learning how to review information is vital in developing media literacy.
Top tip 3: Humanise the story
The emotional reaction to misinformation is what makes it spread so fast.
- There are many actors behind these stories and itβs not just international interference.
- Speak to those involved on a domestic and local level to discover what motivates them to spread or fight such misinformation. This depth of story will make it resonate further.
Top tip 4: Sift fact from fiction
Misinformation is often a combination of good and bad advice and each point must be addressed.
- The recent fabricated stories surrounding ibuprofen hospitalisations contained an important medical debate about whether the medication is safe to be taken with coronavirus symptoms.
Journalist explained how ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Reality Check drills down to the bottom of complex issues and claims from politicians and social media to provide answers worth acknowledging or ignoring. Analysing data around health myths means not just looking at whatβs fake or not but also reporting what genuine medical recommendations are.
Top tip 5: Look out for common themes
Alarm bells should start ringing if the advice is around drinking certain liquids or the dangers of technology such as 5G. Clear explanations and factual evidence will lessen the risk of amplifiying these false claims when debunking them.
And finally: Trusted News Initiative
The ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ is collaborating with other media organisations to tackle disinformation.
Through the Trusted News Initiative the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ is working with technology platforms and selected news publishers to rapidly identify and stop the spread of harmful coronavirus disinformation. From a ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ perspective we have to make sure all ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ content is exactly right and always accurate. So-called βmainstream mediaβ is often decried as being part of the "conspiracy".
Impartiality and accuracy are more important than ever if we are to protect audiences from disinformation during these times of extreme jeopardy.