July 25, 2021
Disinformation reminder
Once again, I am reminded that bad information is our biggest challenge in overcoming our pandemic. All over the world, public health officials are battling it. A good example is this story in the New York Times about Louisiana and the challenges there. Public health officials are worn out and discouraged. This is so unnecessary and destructive. Lives are affected.
The brilliant Zeynep Tufekci has written a report for the New York Times how this dysfunction is hurting us as a nation and as individuals. So many still are resisting mask wearing and vaccines, despite the increased risk of the Delta variant, because of disinformation. A disturbing report shows that most of this disinformation can be traced back to just 12 people with their views magnified by Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, and other social media. One person, along with his girlfriend account for the most misinformation. He is able to make money off of his claims, which is maddening to me.
Money is a driver for some people to spread disinformation. Now there is a report on the growing shadow industry of disinformation, often bankrolled by entities with nefarious goals. Shining a light on these efforts is important, because this disinformation is meant to divide us and distract us. Knowing our sources is key.
Often disinformation is spread because of a report that comes out as a“pre-print” A pre-print is not peer reviewed and vetted. Sometimes, the data is unreliable and not valid so the pre-print is withdrawn. Stories like this one about the plagiarism and mistakes in an Ivermectin study abound. This calls into question the data that appeared to show effectiveness which means still no answer is available. Another study with similar issues was just retracted by JAMA Pediatrics, which caused fear in parents that mask wearing was dangerous for their children. Ultimately the study was retracted due to validity concerns, which again doesn’t answer the original question of concern.
We all must stay vigilant about our sources and avoid the rabbit holes of Facebook, Twitter, and other social media feeds that lead us down paths that may seem good but are fraught with misinformation. Two good sites are the Infodemic blog and Newsguard to help check your sources and keep on track, They may help others too.
Wash your hands, cover your nose (indoors as needed), keep your distance, and vet your sources.
And finally, my caveat is that this is my experience and my opinions, which are subject to change as more information is available, and not related to the organization I work for. Thanks for reading.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/25/us/politics/louisiana-covid-vaccine-misinformation.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/24/opinion/coronavius-vaccine-masks.html
https://www.npr.org/2021/05/13/996570855/disinformation-dozen-test-facebooks-twitters-ability-to-curb-vaccine-hoaxes
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/the-most-influential-spreader-of-coronavirus-misinformation-online/
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/25/world/europe/disinformation-social-media.html
https://www.medpagetoday.com/special-reports/exclusives/93658 ivermectin
https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/93609 meds mask
https://infodemic.blog
https://www.newsguardtech.com/coronavirus-misinformation-tracking-center/