The spread of misinformation in many pandemics, including the smallpox and 1918 influenza outbreaks, have undermined efforts to contain infections and prevent deaths.
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Articles on Infodemic
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College science classes often fall short of helping students see connections across subjects. Can a new approach make a difference?
Season Four of ‘Stranger Things’ shows how easily people are influenced when they’re clamouring for answers during times of uncertainty.
Stories build powerful emotional attachments. We root for heroes, boo their opponents and get anxious for the fictional problem to be solved. Facts have very little to do with it.
Shared decision-making upholds person-centred care and supports people to take charge of their own health: their views, input and experiences are important contributors to health plans.
The majority of front page reports were negative in tone, seeing very little possibility for individual agency and self-efficacy. This can amplify public anxiety and fear.
The strong disapproval of the South African government’s handling of the pandemic is a warning that crafting persuasive pro-vaccine messages is not enough.
Behind a lot of news headlines often lie either questionable, oversold or misinterpreted research findings. So what should readers be aware of when reading news that contain scientific claims?
Shoring up surveillance and response systems and learning lessons from how the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded will help the world be ready the next time around.
With a limited number of fact-checkers in Southeast Asia, fact-checking content becomes a challenging task to complete.
When it comes to COVID-19 misinformation, not all nations are the same. Some are peddling a larger variety of myths than others - and each seems to have its own personal favourite.
In Africa, people who report higher levels of exposure to disinformation also report lower levels of media trust.
The recognition that COVID-19 is accompanied by an equally alarming “infodemic” has added a level of complexity to the situation. What are the consequences of this avalanche of information?
In an age of social media and the propensity for misinformation to spread like wildfire, organizations and governments should consider social media strategies in pandemic response planning.
Jokes and satire can build resilience but also spread misinformation as people don’t always know what is trustworthy and what is just funny.
Misinformation spreads fast when people are afraid and a contagious and potentially fatal disease is frightening. This provides the ideal emotionally charged context for rumours to thrive.
Top contributors
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Professor and Chair, Department of Journalism, Stellenbosch University
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Associate Professor of Marketing, The University of Western Australia
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Director, Institute for Cellular and Molecular Medicine & SAMRC Extramural Unit for Stem Cell Research & Therapy, University of Pretoria
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Science Communication Researcher, Stellenbosch University
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Professor in Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, and Professor at Future Africa, University of Pretoria, University of Pretoria
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Associate Professor in Media Studies and Production, University of Cape Town
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Associate professor, University of Cape Town
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Associate Professor, School of Educational Psychology and Counselling, Faculty of Education, Monash University
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York Research Chair in Global Digital Citizenship, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, York University, Canada
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George Munro Chair in Literature and Rhetoric, Dalhousie University
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Assistant Professor, School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen's University, Ontario
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Assistant Professor of Communication Studies College of Arts and Sciences Department of Languages, Literature, and Communication Studies, Northern State University
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Professor, Sociology, York University, Canada
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Instructional Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Texas A&M University
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Professor of Politics and International Affairs, Princeton University
