Abstract:
The COVID19 pandemic has unfolded along side what the World Health Organization has termed an “infodemic” of misinformation. This study identifies and analyzes the most prominent topics of COVID related misinformation that emerged in traditional media between January 1 and May 26,2020 based on a total sample of over 38 million articles published in English-language media around the world. To our knowledge, our analysis is the first comprehensive survey of the traditional and online media landscape on this issue. We found that media mentions of US President Donald Trump within the context of COVID-19 misinformation made up by far the largest share of the infodemic. Trump mentions comprised 37.9% of the overall misinformation conversation, well ahead of any other topics. We conclude that the President of the United States was likely the largest driver of the COVID-19 misinformation “infodemic”. Only 16.4% of the misinformation conversation was “fact-checking” in nature, suggesting that the majority of COVID misinformation is conveyed by the media without question or correction.
Tweety, BSN, RN
36,368 Posts
Ben Carson just tested positive. Apparently he attended an indoor party on election night and you can bet there was no social distancing and masks. I wish him well but for a doctor he should be ashamed of himself for not taking precautions, but he lost his mind a long while ago.