Fake Health News: How to Spot It and Not Fall for It

By: Zyana Morris and Patricia Salber, M.D.

Fake health news stories are flooding the internet. Here’s how you can determine the credibility of the information and its publisher.

One of the most devastating results of a free Internet is, undoubtedly, the proliferation of fake news. The current U.S. Presidential Elections are embroiled in controversy because of the proliferation of lies, misleading information, and obfuscation on TV and social media. These include topics such as,

• The risks of voting by mail
• Foreign interference in our elections
• Claiming that Hillary Clinton should be arrested and Joe Biden barred from running for President.

But an equally sinister concern is the constant rise of fake health news online, especially on social media.

Fake news about the COVID-19 pandemic abounds

We are bombarded with inaccurate statements and lies about the pandemic. Many of these lies originate with the President of the United States. But they are amplified by both paid and unpaid amplification of these dangerous messages on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media channels.