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As the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) seizes the world’s consciousness, citizens have been forced to confront and navigate an onslaught of fake news and misinformation. Several people have taken to shutting themselves in their homes as health officials advise avoiding public areas and travel. The government of Nagaland has announced the closure of all educational institutions in the state till April 12 2020 as a precautionary step to control the outbreak of coronavirus; it further banned non-essential official gatherings such as seminars, workshops, and conferences during the aforementioned period. The advice and enforcements on social distancing means that much of the discourse around Covid-19 is happening online, thus giving liars and profiteers the perfect opportunity to capitalise on the frantic search for information.
Through vast social media networks, a wave of inaccuracy is spreading. From unverified home remedies to tackle the virus to fake advisories asking people to avoid foods such as ice-cream and chicken; a number of conspiracy theories too are flooding our phones daily. Nagaland is no exception to the flurry of misinformation. There have been several social media forwards about the coronavirus hitting Nagaland, with fake doctors verifying the news from non-existent hospitals. The overload of such unverified news has forced the Health and Family Welfare Nagaland to issue a clarification to allay fears, explaining that testing for Covid- 19 is done only in official government facilities and not by private hospitals or laboratories. The Prime Minister of India was also forced to appeal to the citizens last week not to pay heed to rumours surrounding the Covid-19.
The scale of the country’s social media usage makes the fight against misinformation more challenging. India is the biggest market for Facebook-owned messaging application, WhatsApp, with more than 400 million users. Social media rumours have created havoc in recent years and have even led to the deaths of innocent lives. Adding to a string of arrests for social media misuse, a health worker was arrested in Rajasthan for spreading fake news about positive cases of the Covid-19 in the state. Social media sites are also attempting to fight the battle; Twitter’s trust and safety vice president Del Harvey stated that the team were continuing to review and remove posts that went against its rules; YouTube is demonetising all coronavirus content that are not by news organisations or don’t follow guidelines; and Facebook is working round the clock to stamp out myths and hoaxes on the Covid-19.
As the number of positive cases rise globally, and infection rates multiply, fear and apprehension also grow alongside. Now, more than ever, it is crucial to verify social media messages and videos before blindly believing and sharing it ourselves. Some tips for evaluating news are, vetting the publisher’s credibility through source (domain name, author, etc.), paying attention to quality of information and timelines as many stories are recycled, or by simply asking professionals such as healthcare professionals and designated health department officials. The fight against the fake news epidemic will only be successful if we as users, educate ourselves on evaluating and identifying real and fake news. As Mark Zuckerberg stated, much like yelling ‘fire’ in a crowded theatre, health misinformation has the potential to put lives into imminent danger.