Fake health news in the new regime of truth and (mis)information (original) (raw)
Related papers
An exploration of how fake news is taking over social media and putting public health at risk
Health Information & Libraries Journal, 2020
Recent statistics show that almost 1/4 of a million people have died and four million people are affected either with mild or serious health problems caused by coronavirus (COVID-19). These numbers are rapidly increasing (World Health Organization, May 3, 2020c). There is much concern during this pandemic about the spread of misleading or inaccurate information. This article reports on a small study which attempted to identify the types and sources of COVID-19 misinformation. The authors identified and analysed 1225 pieces of COVID-19 fake news stories taken from fact-checkers, myth-busters and COVID-19 dashboards. The study is significant given the concern raised by the WHO Director-General that 'we are not just fighting the pandemic, we are also fighting infodemic'. The study concludes that the COVID-19 infodemic is full of false claims, half backed conspiracy theories and pseudoscientific therapies, regarding the diagnosis, treatment, prevention, origin and spread of the virus. Fake news is pervasive in social media, putting public health at risk. The scale of the crisis and ubiquity of the misleading information require that scientists, health information professionals and journalists exercise their professional responsibility to help the general public identify fake news stories. They should ensure that accurate information is published and disseminated. J.M.
Infodemia, Fake News and Medicine: Science and The Quest for Truth
International Journal of Cardiovascular Sciences, 2020
Besides fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic, there is another critical problem that Medicine and Science need to face in this crucial moment: the spread of inaccurate information online. By the end of March 2020, more than 2100 Iranians were poisoned by the oral ingestion of methanol. Iran, as an Islamic country, has severe restrictions on alcohol, but in this case, patients told that social media messages suggested they could prevent being infected by SARS-CoV-2 drinking alcohol. Almost 900 illicit alcohol poisoned patients were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and 296 died (fatality rate of 13.5%). 1 In the past, news was produced and distributed by a few organizations or private companies, but today, in the Internet and social media age, anyone can broadcast news online. Fake news is better defined as deliberate false information spread via social or conventional media. 2 Fake medical news can mislead in order to damage an organization and/ or a person. Another problematic consequence of a fake medical report is to make profits with some specific food, supplement or treatment.
Fake News and Disinformation in Health Care- Challenges and Technology Tools
Studies in Health Technology and Informatics
The aim of this study is to define and analyze the phenomenon of fake news and disinformation from social media in healthcare ecosystem. Social media and web platforms can be used to spread misinformation, which produces harmful consequences to global health and well-being. A qualitative research was carried out by using semi structured interview with experts for collecting the data investigating the social, legal and technical environment that promote this phenomenon. In order to shed some light, software tools and web platforms are suggested to those in charge of educating users on their best use of internet for this purpose.
Nebula Research, 2021
This paper seeks to understand the phenomenon of fake news and its’ particular application in the areas of medical misinformation. A review of the literature shows that there is an increase in the amount of fake news and medical misinformation available, especially through social media channels. The paper examines the rise of fake news and how a particular section of this – medical misinformation – has increased over the past several years. The research shows that the increase in medical misinformation has led to an increase in patient harm and has even led to death. By completing a comprehensive review of the literature on medical misinformation, the authors are able to show that such misinformation is spread quickly and with little cost to the producer/disseminator. The motivations behind the production and dissemination of medical misinformation are examined as they are not based on financial factors alone. The authors also examine how medical misinformation has changed public perception in a number of cases, leading to large scale outbreaks of infectious disease, poisonings, and other harmful outcomes. At a time when massive vaccination attempts are being made due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, the dissemination of medical misinformation could hamper public health efforts. Although, at the current time (2021), a large amount of the reporting and research on medical misinformation is based around COVID-19, the authors have attempted to make this paper more generally based around all medical misinformation. The impact of social media on the spread of medical misinformation is also examined. The authors show that social media is one of the main channels for the dissemination of medical misinformation, in no small part due to the very low cost and the speed that information can be shared with millions. Finally, the paper suggests that policymakers, social media leaders, journalists, researchers, scientists, and medical providers must all work quickly to challenge this and to put in place robust solutions to reduce the rise of medical information.
Journal of Public Health
Purpose As the new coronavirus disease propagated around the world, the rapid spread of news caused uncertainty in the population. False news has taken over social media, becoming part of life for many people. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate, through a systematic review, the impact of social media on the dissemination of infodemic knowing and its impacts on health. Methods A systematic search was performed in the MedLine, Virtual Health Library (VHL), and Scielo databases from January 1, 2020, to May 11, 2021. Studies that addressed the impact of fake news on patients and healthcare professionals around the world were included. It was possible to methodologically assess the quality of the selected studies using the Loney and Newcastle-Ottawa Scales. Results Fourteen studies were eligible for inclusion, consisting of six cross-sectional and eight descriptive observational studies. Through questionnaires, five studies included measures of anxiety or psychological distress caused by misinformation; another seven assessed feeling fear, uncertainty, and panic, in addition to attacks on health professionals and people of Asian origin. Conclusion By analyzing the phenomenon of fake news in health, it was possible to observe that infodemic knowledge can cause psychological disorders and panic, fear, depression, and fatigue.
Stemming the Tide of Disinformation in Public Health
South Eastern European Journal of Public Health
Context: Disinformation, or incorrect information that is intended to mislead, was pronounced during the COVID pandemic. Disinformation that steers away from life-saving practices or toward life-threatening practices can be fatal. The European Union has in place policies and offices to combat disinformation. However, they lack the full mandate and clarity of systems to meet the needs for quick and effective responses.Policy Options:Means to enhance the effectiveness of existing policies include [1] clarifying a rapid response framework, [2] enhancing media literacy in the public, [3] inoculating the public against anticipated disinformation, and [4] engendering public trust through coordinated and consistent communication. Recommendations:Among these four, options 2 and 3 were deemed the best opportunities for quick action, early successes, and the fewest institutional or political hurdles. We recommend [a] that the EU Commission establishes an EU Media Agency with a solid governanc...
Impact of Fake News and Myths Related to COVID-19
Journal of Content Community and Communication, 2020
With the advent of the internet and the subsequent increase in use and accessibility, the social media networks have particularly emphasised in terms of the news being shred online. However, this has caused a drastic change in the assessment and obtaining of the real information. Hence, this paper has aimed to assess the impacts of fake news and myths regarding the novel Covid-19 pandemic. Through the systematic review of the related studies and support through relevant literature, the findings of the research include various harmful impacts of the notion. This ranges from small impacts such as spread of misinformation to more sinister impacts such as the wrongful utilisation of drugs for curing the disease. Moreover, the paper also mentions the various motives behind the spread of such false information, primarily fuelled by collecting monetary benefits in terms of digital marketing, etc. Overall, the study concludes the impacts of spread of fake news and myths are generally harmfu...
PLOS One, 2022
A massive "infodemic" developed in parallel with the global COVID-19 pandemic and contributed to public misinformation at a time when access to quality information was crucial. This research aimed to analyze the science and health-related hoaxes that were spread during the pandemic with the objectives of (1) identifying the characteristics of the form and content of such false information, and the platforms used to spread them, and (2) formulating a typology that can be used to classify the different types of hoaxes according to their connection with scientific information. The study was conducted by analyzing the content of hoaxes which were debunked by the three main fact-checking organizations in Spain in the three months following WHO's announcement of the pandemic (N = 533). The results indicated that science and health content played a prominent role in shaping the spread of these hoaxes during the pandemic. The most common hoaxes on science and health involved information on scientific research or health management, used text, were based on deception, used real sources, were international in scope, and were spread through social networks. Based on the analysis, we proposed a system for classifying science and healthrelated hoaxes, and identified four types according to their connection to scientific knowledge: "hasty" science, decontextualized science, badly interpreted science, and falsehood without a scientific basis. The rampant propagation and widespread availability of disinformation point to the need to foster media and scientific caution and literacy among the public and increase awareness of the importance of timing and substantiation of scientific research. The results can be useful in improving media literacy to face disinformation, and the typology we formulate can help develop future systems for automated detection of health and science-related hoaxes.