To familiarize everyone with key socioeconomic terms and concepts, we have this new social media series.
For this week, our buzzword is “misinformation”.
It refers to false or inaccurate information spread without the intent to cause harm.
Source: Information Disorder (The Essential Glossary)
A PIDS policy note emphasized that health misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic exposed individuals and communities to further risks. Evidence shows that fake news instigated public fear, anxiety, unnecessary hoarding and panic buying, and antiethnic sentiments. False information about vaccines also exacerbated COVID-19’s threat to public health.
Interventions to counter misinformation include raising people’s awareness and skills in fact-checking, strengthening citizen engagement, training children to be analytical early on in life to build a solid foundation, and incorporating media literacy across all levels of education and spaces for learning.
Know more about misinformation by reading “Fake news, its dangers, and how we can fight it” available at https://pids.gov.ph/publication/policy-notes/fake-news-its-dangers-and-how-we-can-fight-it.
