Recommendations on avoiding fake COVID-19 news
Whilst social media marketing can provide incredible return on investment and brand opportunity for business, it can also spread falsified news faster than any virus in the real world.
The influx of fake news commonly coincides with major global events; notably the US election, the Brexit Referendum and now the Coronavirus of 2020.
Pryzm is dedicated to transparent, ethical marketing. That’s why we’ve put in this guide for understanding and avoiding fake and biased news for our stakeholders.
Take careful note of the source of the information
When you see a piece of coronavirus related content, look at who the source is.
Is it an individual? Is it a news network? Is it a lobby group? Is it just a Facebook page?
This is vitally important for understanding fake news and biased news. Often, quotes by individuals or pages are doing anything to be relevant and are willing to twist the truth to be relevant to their own page, in order to grow followers.
Political lobby groups and politicians may be making conclusions from the virus to sell their existing agenda.
News networks want clicks - especially the tabloids. Pryzm recommends avoiding The Sun, The Daily Mail and other mass production newspapers.
Fake news can be cited - so it can fool anyone.
Even the most discerning eye can be caught out by fake news. Sometimes the facts are presented with citations but still, are citing biased inidividuals’ accounts or non peer-reviewed information. We recommend sticking to educational, governmental (but not politicians) and medical institutes information. We recommend the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security eNewsletter on COVID-19 - that’s detailed further down in the article.
Perception is dangerous.
People that recognise fake news will use it to lash non-responsible groups in public. False claims by politically minded Facebook pages continue to swirl about and the retaliation is often aimed at the greater political party, often completely separated to the false comments made.
Ensure you recognise the source of all information you consume during this period. As stated earlier, disregard individuals, pages and groups as opinion, not fact.
Our preferred source of information: The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security - COVID-19 Email List
The institute is an educational institution that addresses real developments and quashes fake news. It contacts each Center for Disease Control in major countries around the world for exact stats, avoiding innuendo but making calculated projections on the future.
In the March 18 release of information, Johns Hopkins commented on the possibility of the SARS-CoV-2 virus being man-made in laboratory, stating they “do not believe that any type of laboratory-based scenario is plausible.”
In the same release, the mail out explains political movements without opinion - simply stating facts. See below regarding New York’s social distancing policies:
“Yesterday, New York Mayor Bill DeBlasio issued an executive order banning “pooled” or “shared rides” for 5 days. Pooled or shared rides refer to high-volume taxi or ride-sharing services that allow riders that are not otherwise part of the same group to ride together in the same vehicle, such as Uber Pool. Mayor DeBlasio also discussed the possibility of implementing a “shelter in place” order in New York in the coming days, similar to what is currently in place in San Francisco. Several reports note that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo opposed the idea and commented that the state government must approve any such measure. At a press conference, Mayor DeBlasio said a decision would be made in the next 48 hours, but it remains to be seen to what extent a citywide order would or could be implemented in New York. “
The mail out continues to address economic impact, impact on the lower v upper class and refers to the effectiveness of certain approaches taking by countries. It also shares links from the US CDC on how to clean and disinfect your home.
To sign up for the newsletter, check out this link: http://www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/newsroom/newsletters/e-newsletter-sign-up.html