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Are you an infodemiologist? Here are 7 tips on how to spot false information about the pandemic

#1

Some SAGE (har har) advice here from our Great Reset loving friends at the W.E.F. -

‘Since the start of the pandemic there’s been a surge in false information, exploiting people’s fears and anxieties about COVID-19’.

Indeed.

Are you an infodemiologist? Here are 7 tips on how to spot false information about the pandemic

  • An infodemic of misinformation and disinformation has emerged around COVID-19.
  • This ranges from false cures to conspiracy theories about the virus itself.
  • The World Health Organization has released tips to help sort fact from fiction.
  • Always check sources and be aware of your own biases.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been accompanied by a wave of unreliable information about the virus. So how do we know who and what to believe?

“Infodemiology” – studying the flood of information about the pandemic and how to manage it – is something the World Health Organization wants us all to become well-versed in. And it has devised some simple tips to help us decide what we can and can’t trust.

Whether it’s misinformation (false information that wasn’t created with the intention of hurting others) or disinformation (false information created with the intention of profiting from it or causing harm), the WHO says it spreads just like a virus, passing from person to person.

information fake news infodemic Coronavirus china virus health healthcare who world health organization disease deaths pandemic epidemic worries concerns Health virus contagious contagion viruses diseases disease lab laboratory doctor health dr nurse medical medicine drugs vaccines vaccinations inoculations technology testing test medicinal biotechnology biotech biology chemistry physics microscope research influenza flu cold common cold bug risk symptomes respiratory china iran italy europe asia america south america north washing hands wash hands coughs sneezes spread spreading precaution precautions health warning covid 19 cov SARS 2019ncov wuhan sarscow wuhanpneumonia pneumonia outbreak patients unhealthy fatality mortality elderly old elder age serious death deathly deadly
information fake news infodemic Coronavirus china virus health healthcare who world health organization disease deaths pandemic epidemic worries concerns Health virus contagious contagion viruses diseases disease lab laboratory doctor health dr nurse medical medicine drugs vaccines vaccinations inoculations technology testing test medicinal biotechnology biotech biology chemistry physics microscope research influenza flu cold common cold bug risk symptomes respiratory china iran italy europe asia america south america north washing hands wash hands coughs sneezes spread spreading precaution precautions health warning covid 19 cov SARS 2019ncov wuhan sarscow wuhanpneumonia pneumonia outbreak patients unhealthy fatality mortality elderly old elder age serious death deathly deadly1350×809 76.5 KB

The WHO says false information spreads like a virus, resulting in potentially harmful or dangerous information taking over many people’s newsfeeds.

Image: WHO

Since the start of the pandemic there’s been a surge in false information, exploiting people’s fears and anxieties about COVID-19, according to research by PwC. This ranges from false cures to conspiracy theories about the virus.

So to help halt the “infodemic”, the WHO suggests applying these tests to any information you hear about COVID-19.

1. Assess the source

Who passed on the information and where did they get it from? Always vet their source yourself; don’t take their word for it, even if they are family or friends. Check how long social media profiles have been active, their number of followers and their most recent posts. For websites, search for background information and legitimate contact details. Other signs that an online source is unreliable include spelling mistakes, too many capital letters and exclamation marks.

2. Go beyond headlines

Don’t be influenced by just the headlines – read the entire story and use non-social media sources like newspapers, podcasts and news sites to check the veracity of a headline. “Diversifying your sources allows you to get a better picture of what is trustworthy,” says the WHO.

3. Identify the author

Search the author’s name online to see if they are real or credible. If they claim to be a professional person, check for their profile on LinkedIn. If they say they are an academic, look on the website of the institution to which they say they belong.

4. Check the date

The WHO says you should always ask these questions when you come across information: Is this a recent story? Is it up to date and relevant to current events? Does it have a headline, image or statistic that has been used out of context?

information fake news infodemic Coronavirus china virus health healthcare who world health organization disease deaths pandemic epidemic worries concerns Health virus contagious contagion viruses diseases disease lab laboratory doctor health dr nurse medical medicine drugs vaccines vaccinations inoculations technology testing test medicinal biotechnology biotech biology chemistry physics microscope research influenza flu cold common cold bug risk symptomes respiratory china iran italy europe asia america south america north washing hands wash hands coughs sneezes spread spreading precaution precautions health warning covid 19 cov SARS 2019ncov wuhan sarscow wuhanpneumonia pneumonia outbreak patients unhealthy fatality mortality elderly old elder age serious death deathly deadly
information fake news infodemic Coronavirus china virus health healthcare who world health organization disease deaths pandemic epidemic worries concerns Health virus contagious contagion viruses diseases disease lab laboratory doctor health dr nurse medical medicine drugs vaccines vaccinations inoculations technology testing test medicinal biotechnology biotech biology chemistry physics microscope research influenza flu cold common cold bug risk symptomes respiratory china iran italy europe asia america south america north washing hands wash hands coughs sneezes spread spreading precaution precautions health warning covid 19 cov SARS 2019ncov wuhan sarscow wuhanpneumonia pneumonia outbreak patients unhealthy fatality mortality elderly old elder age serious death deathly deadly1920×1087 302 KB

Tips for handing the infodemic.

Image: WHO

5. Examine the supporting evidence

Credible stories source their facts by including quotes from experts or links to statistics or studies. Verify that experts are reliable by searching for them online and follow links to check they really do back up the story.

6. Check your biases

Our personal biases shape how we see the world. Ask yourself why you have been drawn to a particular headline or story. How did you react to the story and why?

7. Turn to fact-checkers

There are more than 300 fact checking organisations in 84 countries, according to research by Duke University, many of which are members of the International Fact-Checking Network. Global news outlets which employ fact-checkers include the Associated Press and Reuters.

#2

Thanks Spike. Lies used to be simply false, now it seems they are becoming organic.

Jeremy Vine on his BBC Radio2 programme two days ago asked if people who give out ‘misinformation’ on Covid should be punished. In the format of the programme, listeners phone in with their views. No views were taken on this subject until the last caller came on saying Yes, They Should be Punished.

The WEF propaganda is concerning - seems they envisage armies of clones shouting down doubters who are armed with evidence:

  1. Go beyond the headlines they say. You wouldn’t know from this that only a day or two ago the vaccine world went into hysteria over a press release with zero data. Nothing other than the headlines.

  2. The source, incidentally, was the seller.

  3. Examine the supporting evidence? There was none given to examine.

  4. Fact-checkers. The trouble is, they will accept opinion as fact, by relying on the source. See 1) “Check the sources”. Too often they mean ‘Official sources’. That just leads to networks of beliefs and wishful thinking held together by bias.

For exampIe, have seen statements like “There is no evidence that mobile phone signals can pose a risk to health” passed by every single fact checker that looked at them, as if there were not one study (let alone thousands). They only look as far as official pronouncements. If the relevant scientific authority is stuffed with industry stalwarts all the information that comes from them will be industry friendly, as will anything deriving from it. It doesn’t take long for the ‘evidence’ to appear overwhelming - despite there being no relevant facts in sight, just a burgeoning collection of self-referencing copies and re-hashes.

Proper ‘fact checks’ into scientific controversies would take significant time. ‘Fact checkers’ in this scenario just function as an addition layer to the house of cards that impersonates ‘reputable science’. All this protective (but hollow) packaging makes it more difficult to expose falsehoods.

But more than this, the increasingly heavy propaganda machinery being assembled to single out anyone who is questioning orthodoxy poses serious threats to all forms of rights, like health and liberty, not just freedom of speech.

Cheers

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#3

Hi both

Discussions like this one are exactly the reason I come here. Many thanks to you both!

cheers

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