Stay home, stay well: Fight against the ‘infodemic’

Falsehoods and rumours thrive during a crisis and even more when the crisis revolves around a threatening disease.

Much like the virus itself, misinformation is spreading quickly during the coronavirus outbreak.

Media experts say misinformation is so dangerous that it could threaten people's lives.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is warning of an "infodemic" after an influx of misinformation online about the novel coronavirus.

The WHO described it as "an overabundance of information -- some accurate and some not -- that makes it hard for people to find trustworthy sources and reliable guidance when they need it".

Recently, a number of rumours have surfaced on social media platforms. To prevent this, law enforcers have started working at the field level.

"Rumours and hoaxes promising false cures cause panic amid uncertainty," Shabnam Azim, associate professor of Department of Mass Communication and Journalism at Dhaka University, told The Daily Star.

Shabnam said misinformation is spreading in two ways -- wrong interpretation of messages and wrong messages.

"So, while delivering any message through any medium, clarity should be ensured," she said.

She said the most important thing is that the credible media houses come forward with credible information to wipe out the rumours.

Rumours and misinformation are spreading via social media. People have to be careful about credible sources and "we all have to act whenever we see any rumour", she added.

Shabnam said if anyone took misinformation seriously and acted upon it, then the consequences could be dangerous.

"For example, we read that some people in a country died because they drank Savlon [an antiseptic solution]," she said.

Shabnam suggested that a free flow of information should be ensured as rumours and misinformation thrive when there is a crisis of information or there is an ill motive.

The simpler the message the more communicative it will be, she said.

She put importance on reports of credible media outlets and suggested that those could regularly publish articles denouncing the rumours with counter arguments.