‘There Are Sensible Voices That Are Emerging,’ How Scientists Are Using Social Media to Counter Coronavirus Misinformation
This sharing of information has also led to increased online interaction among those working on the virus. “There’s often months of delays when people do research… but now this is all coming out on Twitter, and in a way there is a self peer review,” Ho says.
“Scientists who work on this around the world are able to form collaborations and are having really interesting conversations. And there are sensible voices that are emerging. People that you would follow because you know that they’re the expert in so many things,” she adds. WHO has also launched an initiative to counter misinformation known as the WHO Information Network for Epidemics . The initiative shares accurate tailored information with targeted sectors impacted by the coronavirus, including healthcare, travel and tourism, business and food and agriculture.“The spread of misinformation has been challenging but WHO is prepared for this.
Sell says that tech companies have some responsibility to combat misinformation, but that alone is not enough to stop the spread of falsities. “Being able to talk freely and post freely — those things are important,” Sell says. “An appropriate tech response to dealing with misinformation is critical, but I don’t think it’s sufficient… We would rather ourselves be able to determine what’s true or not true.”
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
‘It’s clearly working’: Coronavirus misinformation surges, fueled by clout chasersMisleading, unverified and false information about the coronavirus has spread across social media platforms, with some accounts only a few days old reaching millions of views with a mix of fearmongering and racial stereotyping.
Read more »
Chinese scientist working on coronavirus claims pets can catch infection, says owners should monitor for symptomsThe virus has killed almost 200 people since it emerged from the city of Wuhan late last year.
Read more »
Australia scientists claim first re-creation of coronavirus outside ChinaA team of scientists in Australia said on Wednesday they have successfully devel...
Read more »
What Experts Do and Don’t Know About the Coronavirus OutbreakFears of a pandemic continue to rise, but there are still more questions than answers.
Read more »
Coronavirus: Five burning questions scientists want to answer about the outbreakThere are many things scientists really wish they knew about the coronavirus that has sickened thousands of people and caused at least 132 deaths.
Read more »