‘Fake news threat to public health’ – The Manila Times

Read this in The Manila Times digital edition.

GOVERNMENT'S response to the Covid-19 pandemic is seriously impacted by the proliferation of disinformation, an official of the Philippine Institute of Development Studies (PIDS) said.

"The damage inflicted by fake news can be serious, and its ramifications far and wide as news could travel more quickly on social media, especially sensational stories, which most disinformation producers invent in selling fake news," Sheila Siar, PIDS research and information director, said in a webinar.

Quoting World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Siar said the world is fighting not just a pandemic but also an "infodemic" as fake news is spreading faster than Covid-19.

Based on the definition of WHO, "infodemic" refers to the overabundance of information - some accurate and some not - that makes it difficult for people to find trustworthy sources and reliable guidance when they need it.

"Fake news can expose individuals and communities to further risks from not following the health protocols and not getting vaccinated. It can also instigate public fear, panic and anxiety, creating a host of mental health issues," she said.

Siar, in her policy paper, noted that false information could also affect the economy.

An example is the "news about the supposed health benefits of certain plants, such as ginger, in preventing Covid-19 infections," which "triggered an artificial spike in prices, causing a global shortage."

Fake news could also cause unnecessary hoarding and panic buying, according to Siar.

In a study she cited, the sudden increase in the demand for health supplies, such as masks and protective equipment, disrupted the local and global supply, resulting in a market failure.

Siar suggested some interventions to prevent the proliferation of fake news.

According to her, there is a need to increase people's awareness, familiarity and understanding of available tools for fact-checking.

She said government agencies, academic institutions and media networks should help in promoting these to validate the authenticity of information circulated on the internet and through social media.

Siar said strengthened citizen engagement is also needed, noting that "misinformation is a whole-of-society problem and not just an issue for the government to solve or for the tech companies to address."

She said it is vital to engage citizens in fact-checking and capacitate citizens through continuous training and education.

Siar also highlighted the importance of developing analytical thinking and digital intelligence early on in life among children, stressing that "based on cognitive psychology research, the propensity to fall prey to fake news is linked to poor analytical thinking and reflective reasoning."

Moreover, she urged the government to include media literacy in the country's basic education curriculum, explaining that "while there is a subject called Media and Information Literacy in the Senior High School program, it is a general course and not focused on developing media literacy skills."

Siar encouraged netizens to make fact-checking an automatic response whenever they receive potentially false information and messages from dubious sources.

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'Fake news threat to public health' - The Manila Times