WATCH: Corona misinformation
It is universally acknowledged that information is power. The flow of information especially accurate information allows nations, communities, families and individuals to critically plan and deal with arising matters in different spheres of life.
For many years, the dissemination of information depended on traditional mediums such as books, television, newspapers and radio. The emergence of digital communication platforms, especially social media, which are facilitated by rapid access to internet has tremendously altered the flow of information, which has left room for misinformation through inaccurate information which is curated and easily shared by many.
The onset of the corona pandemic has placed into serious focus the differentiation of facts and fiction. Speaking in an interview, Mia Malan, Executive Director at Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism, provided a broad overview and insight into the misinformation characterising Covid-19 information dissemination.
“What has worked for me the best is to get the opinion of a scientist and perhaps more than one. And I think that’s important with coronavirus because the peer reviewed process for research has been skipped with this virus because we need to move quickly and if you have something peer reviewed, it may few months to be published. What we have at the moment is a lot of preprints being published with methodologies which have not been scrutinised by other scientists and people which leads to wrong findings, it opens up the opportunities for mistakes and we have reporters reporting on it” said Mia.
Common myths and facts around Covid-19
Myth
Taking antibiotics or other medicines cures corona virus.
Fact
At the moment there is no proven cure for Covid-19, but most people will recover on their own without needing professional medical care.
Myth
Disinfectant deals with the virus better than commonly used hygiene products.
Fact
You shouldn’t use strong disinfectant to clean your body. Washing your hands thoroughly with soap and water or using an alcohol-based sanitizer should be good enough.
Myth
Coronavirus can’t spread in warm or hot weather.
Fact
COVID-19 can survive temperatures higher than 25C. You can catch it no matter how sunny and warm it is. So, whatever the weather you should follow the official advice to protect yourself from the virus.
Myth
Corona virus only affects the old and those with existing medical conditions.
Fact
Anyone can get COVID-19, regardless of age, race or skin colour. Older people and people with other health conditions, such as asthma, heart diseases and diabetes, are however more at risk of getting seriously ill.
Factors driving misinformation
Inadequate internet gatekeepers
Because of the decentralized nature and structure of the Internet, pseudo writers can easily publish content without being required to subject it to peer review, prove their qualifications, or provide backup documentation. In addition, the presence of trolls and bots used to spread wilful misinformation has been a problem for social media platforms.
Competition in the media
Media outlets are constantly competing for breaking news and attracting audience numbers. This means that news is often produced at a pace that does not always allow for fact-checking, or for all of the facts to be collected or released at one time. This leaves room for readers or viewers to insert their own opinions, and possibly leading to the spread of misinformation
Inaccurate information from sources
It’s a basic principle that sources of medical information must be experts in their field of work. However, because of the limited numbers of experts who are ready to avail themselves for media interviews, media houses often resort to interviewing the most available professionals who may not even be experts around subject matters being discussed. This leads to inaccurate information being disseminated.
How to combat misinformation
- One of the most important things governments around the world can do is to encourage independent, professional journalism. The general public needs reporters who help them make sense of complicated medical developments and deal with the ever-changing nature of coronavirus from a social, economic and political point of view.
- Governments should avoid crackdowns on the media’s ability to cover the news and verify information. Closed door policy on the media limits freedom of expression and hampers the ability of journalists to cover developments accurately.
- Technology firms should invest in technology to find fake news and identify it for users through algorithms and crowdsourcing. There are innovations in fake news and hoax detection that are useful to media platforms.
- Efforts to enhance news literacy should be a high priority for everyone. This is especially the case with people who are going online for the first time. For those individuals, it is hard to distinguish false from real news, and they need to learn how to evaluate news sources, not accept at face value everything they see on social media or digital news sites.
