Governments must step up to lead the fight against a growing tide of false, inflammatory and misleading information that threatens to worsen the already severe impacts of the virus, according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
By standing with their people to build a trusted relationship, national governments can mitigate the worst threats of misinformation, and in turn more loss of lives and livelihoods. UNDP is working closely with national institutions, as well as with media and civic actors, to help the fight against the spread of disinformation and misinformation, including supporting initiatives to use social media and websites to spread accurate information on COVID-19.
Advice about COVID-19 changes swiftly as medical understanding evolves, and this rapid evolution and the crippling impact on lives and livelihoods have led to a public thirst for information. Social media, informal news sources, and fringe journalism have filled the void, often sowing fear, stigmatization, discrimination, and confusion.
“The tsunami of fake cures, scapegoating, conspiracy theories, and false news stories that has flooded media in general and online platforms, in particular, has created a chaotic information environment — one that is not only undermining the effectiveness of public health measures but also leading to real-life violence and discrimination, confusion, fear and, arguably, long-term societal harm,” said UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner.
Learning the lessons from HIV and Ebola, we must join forces to reject misinformation and stigma, anchoring our responses and advocacy in science, evidence, human rights and solidarity. While many actors bear a responsibility to counter misinformation, real progress will not be achieved without government leadership.
Original source: UNDP
Published on 10 June 2020