"This brief sets out practical considerations relating to flows of information, misinformation and disinformation though online media, particularly social media networks, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. It details various types of online media, key players and influencers on social media, a
...
nd strategies for ensuring good information and disrupting mis- and disinformation. It is important to analyse different types of information across different channels, how it is spread and to whom, in order to determine how social media can be harnessed in both positive and negative ways. The WHO recommends proactive communication during a public health emergency that, “encourages the public to adopt protective behaviours, facilitates heightened disease surveillance, reduces confusion and allows for better allocation of resources – all of which are necessary for an effective response”. With its global influence, social media requires particular consideration during times of public health emergencies and was highlighted as a key issue by the Social Science Working Group of WHO’s Global Research Roadmap for COVID-19. Timely, accurate communication through all media sources is a critical component of ensuring trust in response activities." (Page 1)
more
"COVID-19 vaccine deployment faces an unprecedented degree of uncertainty and complexity, which is difficult to communicate, such as immune response, duration of immunity, repeated vaccination, transmission dynamics, microbiological and clinical characteristics and multiple vaccines. Priority groups
...
for vaccine deployment need transparent public debate to build support for ethical principles. Current seasonal flu uptake is low in certain groups, suggesting vaccination challenges, which include: high risk groups under the age of 65 (40 - 50%), support staff in health care organisations (as low as 37%) and London and even variation amongst key workers such as Doctors (40 - 100%). Deployment and tracking should build on existing immunisation programmes such as primary care by GPs to identify comorbidities, track vaccinations and reminders for additional boosters. COVID-19 vaccine deployment faces an infodemic with misinformation often filling the knowledge void, characterised by: (1) distrust of science and selective use of expert authority, (2) distrust in pharmaceutical companies and government, (3) straightforward explanations, (4) use of emotion; and, (5) echo chambers. A narrow focus on misinformation disregards the fact that there are genuine knowledge voids, necessitating public dialogue about vaccine concerns and hesitancy rather than providing passive one-way communication strategies." (Summary of key points, page 1)
more
"This brief draws on social science literature and informal interviews with experts to illustrate that vaccine hesitancy is more complex and context-specific, and often reflects diverse, everyday anxieties – not just, or even primarily, exposure to misinformation or anti-vaccine campaigners. Based
...
on this, the brief proposes strategies to guide policy makers, public health officials, vaccine developers, health workers, researchers, advocates, communicators, media actors and others involved in vaccine development, communication and deployment to boost confidence in COVID-19 vaccines." (Page 1)
more
"En el caso de la población rural, prácticamente 70 % percibe que no tiene suficiente información, en el caso de la población urbana este porcentaje es menor a 50 %. Confrontando esta información con los medios y la disponibilidad, la explicación más razonable es que no se trata necesariament
...
e de inexistencia de información, sino más bien de los contenidos que se difunden [...] Encontramos dos grandes grupos de preocupaciones, una que tiene que ver con la enfermedad directamente con más de 50%, como es el enfermarse, no ser atendido en los centros de salud y ser hospitalizados. Otro grupo de preocupaciones son indirectas y tienen que ver con separarse de la familia, quedarse sin alimentos y no tener trabajo. Los aspectos que preocupan a las personas han sido poco abordados por los medios de comunicación y no existen políticas que den mayores certezas a la población respecto al futuro inmediato. Existen diferencias notables entre la población rural y urbana, en la primera hay una preocupación mayor por quedarse sin alimentos, en cambio en la segunda prima la preocupación por el empleo." (Página 5-6)
more
"En el área rural, se ratifica la predominancia de la radio sobre los otros medios (59% escucha siempre o casi siempre), seguido muy de cerca de la televisión (56% mira televisión) y luego los medios digitales, el Facebook (41% se conecta) es más reconocido como un medio de información que el W
...
hatsApp (36% utiliza la aplicación). En el área urbana predomina de lejos la televisión (70% siempre o casi siempre), seguida por el Facebook (60%), el WhatsApp (47%) y la Radio (33%). Un dato importante, es que los que no utilizan nunca los medios digitales en el área rural están aproximadamente entre el 33%; la radio y televisión, alrededor del 17%. En el área urbana quienes no utilizan la radio son un 20%, y la televisión, un 5%, y el promedio entre los que no utilizan Facebook ni WhatsApp es de 13% [...] Los medios por los que se informa del COVID-19, son más diversos y con características muy particulares por sector y por región. En general, la tendencia de los medios de comunicación es similar a los medios que se utilizan normalmente, aunque aquí hay una mayor predominancia de la televisión (26%), seguida por la radio (21%) y luego el Facebook (19%). Sin embargo, existen otros agentes que sumados hacen un 24%, esos son amigos / vecinos / familiares (7%), otros varios, entre ellos políticos: ONG (7%), dirigentes de organizaciones sociales (6%) y finalmente promotores de salud (4%). En algunos departamentos, estos otros medios, llegan o pasan del 20%, como es el caso de Cochabamba, Pando, Chuquisaca y el Beni. Aquí se ve más nítidamente la importancia de la radio y televisión, es creciente de acuerdo a los grupos de edad, los mayores la utilizan con mayor preferencia que los medios virtuales. Este grupo también se informa del COVID-19 en un significativo 30% por esos otros medios que se indicaron como son los amigos / vecinos / familiares, dirigentes de organizaciones sociales y finalmente promotores de salud [...] En general, la televisión es considerada el medio más confiabilidad (28%), la radio se mantiene cercana (24%), en cambio bajan los medios digitales como Facebook (15%), y WhatsApp (8%) se disputa la confiabilidad con los amigos / vecinos / familiares (7%), promotores de salud (7%), dirigentes de organizaciones sociales (6%) y finalmente las ONG (5%). Bajo ese criterio los políticos no lograron ni un punto porcentual. Existen nuevamente diferencias entre el área rural y urbana; en el área rural la confiabilidad se la lleva la radio con un 29% contra un 17% en el área urbana. En cambio, en el área urbana la televisión recibió un puntaje de confiabilidad del 33% de la población contra un 24% a la radio. El Facebook recibió una calificación de 20% en el área urbana y de 11% en el área rural." (Página 6-7)
more
"The public generally approved of the Pakistani news media coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. A majority of the respondents agreed that the Covid news coverage had provided them the information they needed, provided largely accurate information, worked for the benefit of the public, and helped th
...
e country’s image. People found the mainstream media the most trustworthy source of Covid-19 news and information, with 57 percent expressing their trust in it. Family-and-friends networks were the second most trusted source for coronavirus information (56 percent). The lowest level of credibility was associated with social media with 30 percent finding it untrustworthy for Covid-related news and information. One in five respondents also said they never used social media to access coronavirus information. Fifty percent of the respondents said they had never used the government’s Covid web portal or smartphone app. But a majority of the respondents (52 percent) still considered official sources trustworthy for coronavirus information." (Executive summary)
more
"Se revisan las explicaciones sobre incremento de contagios y muertes en el caso peruano pese a las medidas tempranas y duras para restringir la propagación del virus. Se profundiza en el análisis de las barreras para el cambio de comportamiento necesarios para detener la transmisión del COVID-19
...
y el rol de las campañas de comunicación para promover la incorporación de comportamientos preventivos. El estudio analiza las tres campañas comunicativas desarrolladas por el gobierno para enfrentar la pandemia, concluyendo que no estuvieron articuladas a la estrategia sanitaria, fueron centralistas y difusionistas. Se asumió un enfoque conductista de la prevención, basado en medidas sancionadoras, en la estructuración de la conducta a través de los comercios e instituciones con mensajes de miedo." (Resumen)
more
"Human behavior plays a central role in reducing the spread of coronavirus. Communication by government entities and other trusted sources about desirable or mandated behaviors during the pandemic is critical. As policymakers, funders, and program staff, it is our responsibility to ensure that commu
...
nications are clear, concise, and accurate. We can go one step further with messaging that is behaviorally informed, contextually relevant, and communicated through novel delivery channels. Effective communication will ensure that everyone hears, understands, and follows guidance necessary for COVID-19 mitigation." (Page 1)
more
"This report, which was developed in consultation with leading experts in social and behavioral sciences and public health, outlines evidence-informed communication strategies in support of national COVID-19 vaccine distribution efforts across federal agencies and their state and local partners. The
...
recommendations put forth are actionable and responsive to the unique challenges faced by the United States in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. The report relies on a few foundational practices of effective health communication, namely coordinated communication and consistent messaging, trust building through partnerships, consideration of different health literacy levels in the population, and importantly, prioritizing equity in all aspects of communication. We build on these foundational principles to outline three intersecting considerations for communication efforts (What is being communicated, Who is the target of the message, and How the message is communicated), along with concrete recommendations for targeted and tailored communication that responds to the needs and perspectives of the intended audience." (Executive summary)
more
"Misinformation is false or inaccurate information deliberately intended to deceive. In the context of the current pandemic, it can greatly affect all aspects of life, especifically people’s mental health, since searching for COVID-19 updates on the Internet has jumped 50% –70% across all genera
...
tions. Misinformation in a pandemic can negatively affect human health. Many false or misleading stories are fabricated and shared without any background or quality checking. Much of this misinformation is based on conspiracy theories, some introducing elements of these into seemingly mainstream discourse. Inaccurate and false information has been circulating about all aspects of the disease." (Page 1)
more
"This document offers tools to help journalists practice responsible coverage of the pandemic using evidence-based information. It also proposes ways to approach coverage and encourages journalists to provide advice and solutions that can help reduce health risks and save lives. The priorities of th
...
e Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) during the COVID-19 pandemic are to save lives, protect health workers, flatten the epidemiological curve to slow the spread of disease, and prevent cases from overloading health systems so that lives will not be lost due to lack of access to needed care. PAHO supports the countries of the Region of the Americas in adopting the measures they deem necessary to tackle the pandemic. Having clear, timely, and accurate information from reliable sources is vital for people in various situations during this pandemic. The information that is given must acknowledge uncertainty and help people protect themselves and prepare for different possible scenarios during the pandemic. This is essential for containing the spread of COVID-19 and the fear associated with it and mitigating its impact." (Page 1)
more
"In Lateinamerika haben Politiker wie Bolsonaro in Brasilien oder Bukele in El Salvador die Präsidentschaftswahlen nicht zuletzt durch ihre Abgrenzung vom politischen Establishment gewonnen, ungeachtet dessen, dass auch sie schon lange zu diesem von ihnen so diskreditierten Politikbetrieb gehören.
...
Einmal im Amt, kämpfen sie mit allen Mitteln darum, ihr Anti-Establishment-Image aufrechtzuerhalten. Dazu gehören auch gezielte Desinformationskampagnen. Mit Verschwörungserzählungen, Fake News, Propaganda, Hasskampagnen oder auch Zensur schaffen sie Feindbilder und schweißen durch Abgrenzung und Ausgrenzung «der anderen» die eigene Basis zusammen. Sie polarisieren und spalten die Gesellschaft, erschüttern das Vertrauen in die staatlichen Institutionen und sichern sich so ihre Macht. Aber nicht nur die Politik weiß sich solcher Desinformationsstrategien zu bedienen. Auch andere Interessengruppen, z.B. aus dem fundamentalistischen religiösen Spektrum, Klimaleugner/innen und Menschen mit sexistischen, homophoben und rassistischen Ansichten, nutzen diese Mechanismen. Auch Schweigen kann ein Mittel der Desinformation sein, trägt es doch zur gesellschaftlichen Normalisierung von Unrecht bei, wie z.B. beim Thema Gewalt gegen Frauen. Unsere lateinamerikanischen Autorinnen – diesmal ausschließlich Frauen – analysieren in der sechsten Ausgabe von Perspectivas, wie solche Mechanismen in Lateinamerika funktionieren und zeigen Gegenmaßnahmen auf. Aus verschiedenen Blickwinkeln berichten sie über Desinformation, fehlende Transparenz, bewusst vorenthaltene Information und Wissenschaftsleugnung." (Vorwort, Seite 2)
more
"COVID-19 disinformation creates confusion about medical science with immediate impact on every person on the planet, and upon whole societies. It is more toxic and more deadly than disinformation about other subjects. That is why this policy brief coins the term disinfodemic. Using this frame, the
...
brief helps to make sense of this new menace, and of the many types of responses that are unfolding internationally. To do this, it unpacks nine main themes and four dominant formats of COVID-19 disinformation, and presents a typology that groups the range of responses to the problem into 10 classes." (Introduction)
more
"For the last 6 months, the Internews' Rooted in Trust project has collected more than 5,238 rumours from seven countries: Afghanistan, Lebanon, Philippines, Colombia, Central African Republic, Mali and Sudan. We work in 12 local languages and collect data across seven major social media platforms a
...
nd a wide range of feedback collection channels, including door-to-door surveys, informal meetings, assessments, community meetings, listening groups, SMS, and radio, with 27 partners across the seven countries. This Global Rumour Bulletin brings together our reflections on two key themes that represent more than 20% of all rumours collected across the seven project sites: rumours that the pandemic either doesn’t exist at all, or that it is a conspiracy, and rumours about vaccines and vaccinations. On the final page you will find a set of recommendations on how we feel the response to rumours and misinformation on these two key themes can be improved." (Introduction)
more
"This style guide [...] was produced to support Liberian journalists reporting on COVID-19 - to encourage the accurate use of terms and phrases while reporting on the pandemic." (Page 1)
"This research demonstrates the complexity of the vaccine information ecosystem, where a cacophony of voices and narratives have coalesced to create an environment of extreme uncertainty. Two topics are driving a large proportion of the current global vaccine discourse, especially around a Covid-19
...
vaccine: the “political and economic motives” of actors and institutions involved in vaccine development and the “safety, efficacy and necessity” concerns around vaccines. Narratives challenging the safety of vaccines have been perennial players in the online vaccine debate. Yet this research shows that narratives related to mistrust in the intentions of institutions and key figures surrounding vaccines are now driving as much of the online conversation and vaccine skepticism as safety concerns. This issue is compounded by the complexities and vulnerabilities of this information ecosystem. It is full of “data deficits” — situations where demand for information about a topic is high, but the supply of credible information is low — that are being exploited by bad actors. These data deficits complicate efforts to accurately make sense of the development of a Covid-19 vaccine and vaccines more generally. When people can’t easily access reliable information around vaccines and when mistrust in actors and institutions related to vaccines is high, misinformation narratives rush in to fill the vacuum." (Page 2)
more
"In the context of the COVID 19 pandemic, effective communication on migration and integration has helped governments achieve crucial policy objectives: First, in order to limit the spread of the virus, governments need to provide all parts of the population, including migrants, with timely and accu
...
rate information on the pandemic, public health measures taken, as well as access to medical services. Second, in order to ensure the continuation of migration and integration processes, governments need to effectively communicate on policy changes affecting migrants’ rights and obligations. Third, communication campaigns addressing the general public can be useful to counter prejudice against migrants in relation to the spread of the virus. This Policy Brief reviews current challenges and good practices of communication on migration and integration in response to the pandemic, drawing from examples of communication campaigns implemented in OECD Member countries in 2020." (Page 1)
more