Category: Misinformation, Disinformation, and Conspiracy Theories
New study reveals TikTok’s spread of COVID-19 misinformation
PhysOrg A new study recently published in the International Journal of Communication reveals how TikTok’s unique features have been used to spread COVID-19 misinformation. Unlike Twitter, which uses a text format, the micro-video format of TikTok makes it more difficult to detect deceptive information. That’s why I lean towards qualitative methods for deeply understanding how misinformation is […]
Jun 14, 2023
Health Misinformation And How To Curb It
Forbes The Covid-19 pandemic amplified what has been present for years- medical misinformation on the internet and social media. According to reports from NBC news, examples of fake news that have propagated through the internet include berries being more effective than vaccines in fighting various infections, ginger being more effective at treating cancer than chemotherapy, and […]
Jun 6, 2023
Science Based Medicine What we have seen is the widespread propagation of misinformation and disinformation. And the reason it has taken root is because there was an information vacuum. I come back to our role as physicians. It is critical that we fill that vacuum because if we don’t, others will. This quote is absolutely […]
May 30, 2023
Taiwan is using humor as a tool against coronavirus hoaxes
QZ.com There’s nothing inherently funny about the novel coronavirus. The latest World Health Organization numbers indicate that more than 383,000 people have died from Covid-19, and the number of confirmed cases worldwide has eclipsed the 6 million mark. But Taiwan, which is lauded for its success in containing the spread of coronavirus, has adopted humor as a tool in […]
May 23, 2023
Joe Rogan Defends Taking Ivermectin for COVID-19 in Scathing Rant
Newsweek Joe Rogan hit back at the mainstream media outlets for “mocking” him about taking ivermectin after testing positive for COVID-19. The comedian spoke at length on his podcast The Joe Rogan Experience, responding to the likes of CNN and MSNBC which he claims tried to “shame him” for taking alternative medications rather than getting vaccinated against COVID. Rogan contracted COVID on […]
May 9, 2023
How misinformation became the leading cause of death in the U.S. and what can be done about it
Texas Public Radio – Audio Report Medical misinformation is killing people, according to the head of the Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Robert Califf blames misinformation and disinformation about public health for the fact that life expectancy in the U.S. is between three and five years lower than it is in other high-income countries. Experts […]
Apr 25, 2023
To Understand Anti-vaxxers, Consider Aristotle
The Atlantic Among the many difficulties imposed upon America by the pandemic, the scourge of anti-vaccine sentiment—and the preventable deaths caused as result—ranks among the most frustrating, especially for infectious-disease doctors like me. People who are hospitalized with COVID-19 rarely refuse therapy, but acceptance of vaccines to help prevent infection has been considerably more limited. Seventy percent […]
Mar 28, 2023
My 6-Year-Old Son Died. Then the Anti-vaxxers Found Out.
The Atlantic Opponents of COVID vaccines terrorize grieving families on social media. My 6-year-old boy died in January. We lost him after a household accident, one likely brought on by a rare cerebral-swelling condition. Paramedics got his heart beating, but it was too late to save his brain. I could hold his hand, look at the […]
Mar 28, 2023