We have already debunked more than 160 hoaxes, including false methods to prevent infection, inaccurate figures, fake cases of contagion in Spain… This disinformation creates panic and alarm among the public. The best vaccine? Data, fact-checks, explanations and verified sources, which you can find in our Coronavirus COVID-19 Special.
#MalditoCoronavirus, the hashtag for asking your questions
Next Wednesday, March 18, Clara Jiménez Cruz, co-founder of Maldita.es, will be live on Twitter answering the questions people send through the hashtag #MalditoCoronavirus. We will debunk hoaxes you ask us about and also update information on protocols and any doubts you may have, in order to help guarantee information checked with health experts.
This live session can be followed from 1:30 p.m. on the Twitter account @maldita_es. Don’t forget to send your question using the hashtag #MalditoCoronavirus!
Disinformation is not only on Twitter, where it is also easy to see what goes viral: it spreads through audios and chain messages on WhatsApp, edited images, videos with unchecked content… The collaboration of the community remains essential for this battle to succeed.
‘Ads for Good’ to make verified information more visible
Twitter has announced partnerships with fact-checking outlets that are part of the International Fact-Checking Network worldwide: the goal is for verified information to reach the widest possible audience. Thanks to that partnership, Maldita.es and the Taiwan Fact Checking Center have joined Twitter’s ‘Ads for Good’ program for non-profit organizations. Articles on COVID-19 produced by Maldita.es, including not only fact-checks but also prevention advice and Q&A pieces answering doubts, are reaching more Twitter users these days thanks to advertising credit granted to us by Twitter as the non-profit outlet we are.
At Maldita.es we are not the only ones fighting the disinformation unleashed by the epidemic: collaboration between organizations has been essential. Different fact-checking outlets around the world have mobilized and coordinated to make verified information available to citizens in different languages and countries. You can see the work of fact-checkers worldwide in #CoronavirusFacts.
The importance of platforms in the fight against disinformation
Technology platforms are also acting to offer reliable information to users during the coronavirus crisis. To do so, they have partnered with official bodies such as the WHO (World Health Organization). Twitter directs users to local official bodies when they search for information about coronavirus and works with the Spanish Secretary of State for Communication and the Ministry of Health to ensure that people find information from authorized, reliable sources. In this way, when a user searches for the term #coronavirus or other related words, an alert appears directing them to the Ministry of Health page (@sanidadgob) and encouraging them to follow the handle @SaludPublicaEs.
Google also shows WHO information at the top of search results about coronavirus. For its part, Facebook is working in collaboration with the WHO to provide citizens with prevention recommendations.
Remember that we still need you to reach the places we cannot: WhatsApp groups, conversations between coworkers, family gatherings. Together it is harder for them to fool us!