False information about the new coronavirus is a big threat to containing the pandemic but governments must not use ‘fake news’ as an excuse to limit freedom of expression.
No, this person is not creating a deadly virus.
CDC / Unsplash
The conspiracy theory that Covid-19 was created in a laboratory has been widely reported, yet there is no evidence to support it. Why such theories thrive can easily be explained, however.
Somali women on a coronavirus awareness campaign.
Abdirazak Hussein/GettyImages
Facebook, Google and Twitter are stepping up to block misinformation and promote accurate information about the coronavirus. Their track records on self-policing are poor. The results so far are mixed.
Commuters outside Nairobi Railway Station wash their hands before entering the train station as a preventive measure against COVID-19.
Photo by Dennis Sigwe/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Axel Bruns, Queensland University of Technology; Daniel Angus, Queensland University of Technology; Timothy Graham, Queensland University of Technology, and Tobias R. Keller, Queensland University of Technology
The social media spread of news, information and myths about coronavirus can help keep the public informed but can also stoke panic.
Humour is sometimes used as a coping mechanism in tragic situations.
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Michael Wade, International Institute for Management Development (IMD)
While COVID-19 is a real concern for businesses and governments, a more serious issue right now is the wider impact of heavily recycled information on society.
A crop circle in Switzerland.
Jabberocky/Wikimedia Commons
Photographic works drawn from the Art Gallery of New South Wales collection explore fakery, mirrors and tricks of the light. But Shadow Catchers stops short of today’s digital doppelgangers.
The vast majority of Americans are sick and tired of being so divided.
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The circulation of misinformation makes understanding the world difficult. Here are three ways you can help children to think critically about the news they see, hear and read.
Have some healthy skepticism when you encounter images online.
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Images without context or presented with text that misrepresents what they show can be a powerful tool of misinformation, especially since photos make statements seem more believable.
As cities have shut down and residential compounds have issued curfews, social media in China have become more important than ever. But it is a place of rumours and mistruths.