Today, Thomson Reuters, in partnership with the National Association of Media Literacy and Education (NAMLE), has launched a guide
here to identifying misinformation on the coronavirus pandemic. 'Slowing the Infodemic: How to Spot COVID-19 Misinformation' features a tip sheet, video and podcast to help social media users understand how misinformation is spread and learn to assess what's real and what's not. The coronavirus pandemic is a global event like no other and has generated an influx of false information and conspiracy theories around the world. How can people separate fact from fiction, especially when so much of their daily information consumption comes from social media? Reuters Head of UGC Newsgathering, Hazel Baker, leads a team of fact-checkers at Reuters that work to identify such misinformation on social media. She lends her expertise to 'Slowing the Infodemic' to help social media users educate themselves about ways to verify what they're reading. "We know that many people who share misleading posts on social media aren't doing so intentionally. The false claims may be hidden amongst fact and are passed on in the belief that the information may help others," said Baker. "We hope this resource will encourage everyone who uses social media to scrutinise the source of virus-related information that they encounter and think twice before sharing." "Combatting misinformation and enhancing media literacy skills has never been more important. We must work together to navigate this complex information landscape especially in a time of a global pandemic. We are thrilled to have had the chance to work with Thomson Reuters on these teaching materials to bring important information and skill-building to social media users of all ages around the U.S. and beyond," said Michelle Ciulla Lipkin, Executive Director, NAMLE. Slowing the Infodemic: How to Spot COVID-19 Misinformation' is available now:
here Media Contact: joel.ivory-harte@thomsonreuters.com [Reuters PR Blog Post]
