Misinformation about coronavirus tests tech platforms' ability to thwart fake news, shows essential role of journalism

Misinformation about the coronavirus is spreading more quickly than the disease itself, "testing Big Tech platforms' ability to police rule-breaking content and China's ability to control domestic criticism," Sara Fischer and Ina Fried report for Axios.

Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Google are trying to stop the spread of misinformation, including fake government warnings and false reports about how many Americans are infected. Some misinformation comes from private Facebook groups, The Washington Post reports.

China is also battling misinformation circulating on its social-media platform Weibo, but to complicate matters, the government is spreading misinformation of its own in an effort to allay people's worries. "Chinese state media has tweeted photos purporting to show a new hospital, but which were actually stock images from a company that sells modular containers," Axios reports.

"Health care has long been a target of misinformation, because it plays into existing fears. This is especially true for disease outbreaks, which can spread faster than the news cycle is equipped to handle," Fischer and Fried write for Axios. Such misinformation can make outbreaks worse, because people may mistrust even accurate information about how to stop the spread of diseases.

"This is the latest lesson in why society needs information providers who practice a discipline of verification. In other words, journalists. And news outlets to pay them fairly and enforce standards," says Al Cross, director of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, which publishes The Rural Blog. Here is reliable coronavirus information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.