(Production: Pablo Cantudo)
A few weeks before the World Health Organization officially declared the COVID-19 pandemic, this institution warned of another epidemic that is spreading almost at the same speed as the virus: disinformation . Thanks to the internet and social networks, today it is easier than ever to spread hoaxes and rumors and, at a time when citizens are concerned and need answers, truthful information is more important than ever.
Rocío Benavente is the coordinator of Maldita Ciencia, a medium that fights against misinformation using verification techniques ( fact checking ) and data journalism. In the current context of health emergency, concern about scientific and health issues is greater than ever , and his team works tirelessly to verify all the information that circulates regarding the new coronavirus.
“The interest of the people has been changing as the pandemic progressed”, the journalist tells us, “at first it was news that came from China, we still perceived it as something distant. We had to explain, for example, that there are many different coronaviruses, because this has led to a lot of confusion. When old news about other types of coronavirus appeared, there were people who thought they were referring to this one. However, as the epidemic progressed, there began to be a greater interest in the disease itself, in the symptoms, the supposed remedies and, above all, the ways to disinfect. We have never been so interested in cleanliness as now ”.
Manage uncertainty
One of the greatest difficulties in communicating everything related to COVID-19 is that, as it is a new disease, there is not yet as much knowledge about it as to make clear statements, and this is a problem for the time to fight the hoaxes. “ The information that we had at the beginning was very scarce and the evidence has been advancing almost at the same rate as the disease did . This has led to a re-evaluation and adaptation of the recommendations almost on the fly ”, reflects Benavente. “Society is scared and needs resounding answers, this is understandable, but you cannot give them. I wish we could know everything about a new virus and a new disease in two weeks but that is impossible , we are building scientific knowledge and that is not obtained in a moment. Part of the work we are doing is explaining and justifying that science needs time. You have to find a middle ground between offering the reliable information that people need to make decisions and at the same time being able to transmit that uncertainty ”.
The most viral hoaxes of the coronavirus
One of the problems of uncertainty is that, when you cannot give accurate or clear answers, hoaxes take hold much more and, in addition, it is much more difficult to deny them. “The most widely transmitted hoaxes have been, on the one hand, those related to the supposed remedies to cure and prevent infection and, on the other, those related to different conspiracy theories about the origin of the virus,” explains Benavente. The danger of these hoaxes, especially those that have to do with false remedies, is that they play with people’s health by promoting practices that can be harmful by themselves (for example, drinking disinfectant), or that can transmit a sensation false security and neglect other protection measures that we do know are effective.
The difficulty of disproving hoaxes
Once a hoax goes viral it is very difficult to stop it. A study published in the journal Science in 2018 concluded that, in general, false information is 70% more likely to be replicated. “This is because a more technical and elaborate explanation, that requires you to stop for a while to read calmly or that uses complicated terms is much less attractive, it has an added difficulty to achieve the same level of viralization”, indicates the journalist. “We try to make the denials as viral as possible, with simple language, direct conclusions and a very attractive format that you want to share.”
Tricks for fishing hoaxes
No one is free to fall for them. “We must be aware that we do not know everything and that we have our biases , in fact we are more likely to believe the tricks that confirm our beliefs or thoughts.” Some of the tricks that Benavente suggests to us in order not to contribute to spreading false information are based on distrusting those who give simple solutions to very complicated problems, everything that appeals to our emotions or exaggerated calls to action.
And, above all, not to spread anything of whose veracity we are not 100% sure. “We are all responsible for viralizing misinformation. Hitting the ‘share’ button is very easy, but it is up to us to do it or not ”.
