The Coronavirus and Fake News: A Curated Guide to Debunking Misinformation During the Pandemic
Fake news is defined as “fabricated stories deliberately created to mislead,” according to the Taxonomy of Skewed News. In an unprecedented time where humans are faced with a virus that is so uncertain, these fabricated stories have run rampant.
It is concerning how fast these rumors can spread like wildfire in our age of the internet and therefore it is important to know how fake news is created.
In a time where any of these identities discussed in the above video have access to influence many others through online means, it is easy for false information to reach large audiences. This, combined with the Coronavirus pandemic that is constantly evolving and re-writing itself every moment, information that appears to be valid isn’t always as it seems.
In this unique Covid-19 case, fake news has further been escalated by hysteria or panic of the effects of the virus. Many people can’t help but fear for what could come next of the virus and at this point, its variants. This sparks them to share concerns online that can be mistaken for misinformation and share it to others with the same concern, creating a cycle of rumors on social media.
One viral case of Covid-19 related misinformation were a string of photos claimed to be from the 1918 Spanish Flu that were compared to today’s precautions.
The photos were all fact-checked and found to not be related to the Spanish Flu. However, it sparked many online users to fear that our society might soon reflect these images although they were unrelated.
Recently, with multiple vaccines released to help slow the spread of the virus, new misperceptions have risen around them.
CNN has since edited this article and removed the false information highlighted in the tweet.
With so much misinformation online, it is critical that social media users are equipped to disseminate the content they see online and determine whether it is accurate or not. This video can help.
As much as online users can protect themselves from believing fake news online, it is equally as important for social media platforms to catch misinformation before it reaches mass audiences.
In March, Twitter announced that it will begin labeling tweets that could potentially contain misinformation about Covid-19 vaccines. Even more recently on April 6, Twitter responded to their original announcement with news they would employ automated tools to help monitor suspicious tweets and label them as fictitious.
Furthermore, social media platforms aren’t the only ones combating the misinformation spread during the coronavirus pandemic. National governments are taking steps to penalize its citizens if they create fake news surrounding the pandemic.
Although it may seem daunting to navigate social media platforms in a new age of fake news online, all it takes for a user to trust the online content they view is thoughtful analysis. The internet may be a place where these rumors can spread, but it is also a place where information to fact-check these rumors can be easily found.
Lastly with all of the negativity online surrounding fake news online, it is nice to take a step back and find some light-hearted humor among the noise!
