December 12, 2020
Ashley Nerbovig, For the Detroit Free Press Published 8:00 a.m. ET Dec. 11, 2020
The United Kingdom began nationwide distribution of Pfizer/BioNTech's highly anticipated COVID-19 vaccine with this woman. Associated Press
As health providers prepare to distribute the coronavirus vaccine, we should be ready for an onslaught of disinformation.
Social media users are already attempting to circulate false claims about people who got the vaccine. Rumors are also swirling about the ingredients used to create the vaccine.
Some disinformation questions the need for the vaccine or attempts to paint vaccination efforts as nefarious, according to research by First Draft, a non-profit that investigates online information. People who spread misinformation are also taking advantage of the many unknowns about the vaccines, according to the report.
And as we know, people dont like ambiguity, the authors, Rory Smith and Seb Cubbon, wrote in thereport. This is when the rumor mill kicks into gear and misinformation runs rampant.
Misinformation is an umbrella term for misleading or false information. Disinformation refers to false facts that bad actors spread on purpose to confuse people and sow distrust in information sources.
[ Read the 2020 report: Americans decided their own truth this election season ]
In May, the Department of Homeland Securitys cybersecurity agency, CISA, laid out some simple steps you can take to reduce the likelihood of unknowingly spreading false or misleading information related to COVID:
The more shocking the information is, the more likely it is to be false.
Ashley Nerbovig covers mis- and disinformation. Follow or DM her at@AshleyNerbovig.
Read or Share this story: https://www.freep.com/story/news/health/2020/12/11/covid-vaccine-disinformation-misinformation/3879269001/
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