Spreading disinformation and conspiracy theories like these without debunking them and explaining why they are false is dangerous for everyone, as they cast doubt on social distancing measures, the origin of the virus, and the usefulness and safety of vaccines — a key tool in the fight against the pandemic.
The battle against pseudoscientific falsehoods and health disinformation has become more important than ever in recent months. At Maldita.es, we believe that critical thinking and education are the best cure against these falsehoods, but in the meantime journalism, together with the community, is the vaccine that helps ensure we are not misled by lies.
They are not opinions, they are disinformation
After the false claims made by Victoria Abril, recipient of the 2021 Feroz Honorary Award, went viral, the president of the awards, María Guerra, published a tweet stating that they did not “share Victoria Abril’s opinion at all.” However, describing the actress’s false claims as an “opinion” suggests they are simply another viewpoint on COVID-19 vaccines, when in reality they are disinformation.
As we have explained in Maldita Ciencia, vaccines have already proven effective in reducing the impact of the pandemic. Proof of this is a study conducted in Israel — the country with the highest number of doses administered per 100 people at the time, according to Our World in Data. This research, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, analyzed more than one million individuals and compared those vaccinated with two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine against those who were not vaccinated. Seven days after the second dose, COVID-19 hospitalizations had decreased by 87% and symptomatic infections by 94%. The study also estimated a 72% reduction in mortality.
Moreover, vaccines must undergo several research phases before being approved, including clinical trial phases 2 and 3. These stages use the double-blind method: some participants receive a placebo or reference treatment, while others receive the tested vaccine, and neither patients nor doctors know who is in each group until the end. The three vaccines administered in the EU (Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca) have passed these phases. Once completed, “researchers must explain the manufacturing methods and facilities, and submit this to authorities — European, U.S. and Japanese — which then decide whether the data is sufficient for approval,” as clinical trials expert Roger Solanas explained to Maldita.es.
Repeating disinformation can make it seem true
According to a study by researchers at the University of Western Australia, one way to reduce reliance on disinformation is to “minimize unnecessary explicit repetition” of false claims. “Repeating the myth before stating it is false can increase familiarity with the misconception, raising the risk that it is remembered as true,” they note.
Similarly, research from the University of Toronto, the University of Michigan and the University of Illinois shows that “repeating a claim without clarifying its truthfulness reinforces familiarity” with it.
Another study from the University of Illinois and the University of Pennsylvania suggests that when debunks organize and integrate disinformation narratives, they may create “networks” of associations that persist in memory, potentially increasing the persistence of false beliefs and weakening the corrective message. The same research concludes that aligning debunks too closely with the original disinformation can reduce their effectiveness.
When lies threaten public health, journalism is not about presenting “both sides”
Journalism has a responsibility in how it verifies information: it cannot give equal weight to someone spreading a hoax and to someone debunking it with evidence-based knowledge.
Interviewing a person who spreads falsehoods alongside a scientific expert places them on the same level, giving undue visibility and credibility to baseless claims. Journalism must be responsible and avoid amplifying those who spread disinformation.
For example, on July 31, TVE’s Telediario aired statements from Natalia Prego, known for spreading false pandemic information, before debunking them with input from biologist and science communicator Juan Antonio López Guerrero.
On August 31, Espejo Público interviewed Pilar Baselga, a known conspiracy theorist and pandemic denialist. Although the program used our fact-checks, giving a platform to falsehoods still amplifies them. That same day, Baselga also appeared on Todo es Mentira.
On September 8, TVE’s Telediario mentioned a warning about MMS — a toxic substance that does not cure COVID-19 — but included statements from Josep Pàmies, who promotes it despite scientific evidence. He has been sanctioned by the Catalan government for promoting pseudotherapies.
Verification as a vaccine
If we do not debunk falsehoods, those who spread disinformation will convince more and more people — or at least create doubt through repeated exposure.
Our goal is to ensure that verified information accompanies these hoaxes, acting as a “vaccine” against them — and the sooner it reaches people, the better. If our debunk reaches you before the hoax does, we have gained ground.
The most effective vaccine against lies is not us, but critical thinking and education in handling reliable information. However, that takes time. In the meantime, fact-checking journalism, together with the community, is key to slowing the spread of disinformation.