Over the past month, I’ve heard many things about the coronavirus. I heard that it was brought to humans by bats, and then I heard that it was brought to humans by pangolins. I heard that CNN definitely reported that it has been proven to be a lab-made virus. I heard that it’s biological warfare waged by China, and then I heard that it’s biological warfare waged by the United States against China. I heard that UNICEF (not the relevant organisation) ensured us that the virus dies if it is exposed to over 23 degrees centigrade. I heard that this virus is only a hoax, and that since the number of people infected are roughly the same number as the residents of Heliopolis, we shouldn’t even be taking it seriously. Every single one of these assertions is either unconfirmed or untrue. Left, right, and center, I am receiving forwarded messages, seeing posts, hearing through word of mouth things that are either telling me not to panic at all – it’s no different to a flu – or to panic to the point of locking myself into my house for a…
Fake News in the Age of COVID-19: Remembering Our Responsibility
March 15, 2020
