‘To share is human; to share it after verifying, is superhuman,’ one can say, appropriating Alexander Pope to suit the modern zeitgeist. As Nagaland step-up efforts to combat the global pandemic COVID-19 by imposing a slew of preventive measures on March 16, it also needs to proactively combat the rampant ‘fake news’ and rumours, which usually accompany such crisis.
Fake news is not a modern’s day bane, but the arrival of the internet and social media have changed the ways it is created, spread and most importantly manipulated.
While the whole world is relatively under partial lockdown due to COVID -19, the fake news and rumours are spreading their tentacles faster; overpowering both gullible and alert ‘news consumers’ along the way. While many are malicious disinformation with ulterior motives, many are unintentional.
“We’re not just fighting an epidemic; we’re fighting an infodemic,” World Health Organization chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recently stated.
According to the Washington Post, citing on an unpublished report from the US Global Engagement Center, nearly 2 million tweets containing conspiracy theories about the coronavirus were published over a three-week period in January and February. While noting that fake news and the spread of misinformation one of the defining issues of our time, the World Economic Forum (WED) concurred recently that the battle against fake news is likely to last as long as the virus, citing Carlos Navarro Colorado, head of Public Health Emergencies at UNICEF.
Along with the pandemic, this is a clear and present danger.
In such a scenario, what should the concerned authorities do to battle the 'infodemic'?
“You need to be faster if you want to fill the void. What is at stake during an outbreak is making sure people will do the right thing to control the disease or to mitigate its impact,” Sylvie Briand, Director of Infectious Hazards Management at the WHO's Health Emergencies Programme.
Swift flow of information from authentic sources would go a long way to quell rumours, bust fake news and myths, and reassure the citizens in transparent manners that things are monitored constantly and perhaps under control. It would also prevent vested elements from taking advantage.
However, such fast “filling of the void,” unfortunately, is certainly missing from Nagaland's combat against COVID-19 at this critical juncture.
For instance, while State’s government preparation on the ground has had been laudable, despite certain apprehension, its effort in controlling false information or reassurance in real-time has been lackadaisical. In times of social media, waiting for the next day to confirm news is too long a time when the consumers are bombarded and confused with ‘infodemic’ from all corners of the work.
Along with the preparation on the ground, the Government should have designated accounts on popular social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook as well as a Whatsapp number on COVID-19. Besides widespread publicity, these accounts should be updated at regular interval throughout the day and serve as nodal accounts for authentic and authoritative source of information for the citizens in real-time. Some departmental accounts were seen to be more active after the Monday’s announcement on COVID-19; it should be perpetual.
The citizens, in the meantime, also need to be wary and responsible about what is being received, shared or forwarded. Verification is just a click away.
To repeat: ‘To share is human; to share it after verifying is superhuman.'
