Researchers have discovered that fact checks on dubious claims are a “more effective counter” to Covid-19 misinformation than simply tagging the claims as ‘false’ as social media outlets commonly do.
“We find that more information may be an antidote to misinformation,” political scientists Sarah Kreps and Douglas Kriner of Cornell University, Ithaca, NY sum up their findings.
Kreps is the John L. Wetherill Professor and interim chair of government and director of the Cornell Tech Policy Lab in the College of Arts and Sciences, while Kriner is the Clinton Rossiter Professor in American Institutions in the Department of Government (A&S) and faculty director of the Institute of Politics and Global Affairs; both are faculty in the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy.
Together they have written a paper, published in Public Opinion Quarterly, called “The Covid-19 Infodemic and the Efficacy of Interventions Intended to Reduce Misinformation.”
The researchers note that the coronavirus pandemic has led to a massive influx of misinformation about the spread of the virus, the efficacy of vaccines and other treatments, and more, that puts public health at risk. The misinformation also tends to overpower factual content and encourage people to take measures that are “...
Pakistani actress and model Ayesha Omar has strongly denied a controversial statement falsely attributed to her on social media. In recent days, a statement circulated online claiming that the act...