may be spreading misinformation undermine efforts

MAY BE SPREADING MISINFORMATION UNDERMINE EFFORTS HOW TO

When students are taught “lateral reading” - where students are taught not to immediately engage with misinformative content they come across but instead “quickly figure out where it came from, who else is saying it and what others are saying about that claim” - they benefit students in other domains of learning. It doesn’t take much to get started.”Īnd once they do get started, Caulfield said, teachers and students find misinformation awareness and information literacy lessons engaging. “All they need is a little bit of support in terms of faculty development and some curriculum materials that they feel comfortable with. “There’s a vast, untapped energy from educators who see this problem and want to address it in the classroom,” Caulfield said.

MAY BE SPREADING MISINFORMATION UNDERMINE EFFORTS HOW TO

ĭuring the discussion, Murthy asked Caulfield for insights of what he’s hearing from educators working to teach students and others how to sort fact from fiction. Convene federal, state, local, territorial, tribal, private, nonprofit, and research partners to explore the impact of health misinformation, identify best practices to prevent and address it, issue recommendations, and find common ground on difficult questions, including appropriate legal and regulatory measures that address health misinformation while protecting user privacy and freedom of expression.ĭuring a webinar hosted by Stanford Internet Observatory on Thursday following the release of the advisory, Murthy discussed the advisory’s recommendations in greater detail and moderated a panel discussion with experts, including Michael Caulfield, the director of blended and networked learning at Washington State University Vancouver who is also a faculty member at the University of Washington ’s Center for an Informed Public.Invest in longer-term efforts to build resilience against health misinformation, such as media, science, digital, data, and health literacy programs and training for health practitioners, journalists, librarians, and others.Implement product design and policy changes on technology platforms to slow the spread of misinformation.Expand research that deepens our understanding of health misinformation, including how it spreads and evolves how and why it impacts people who is most susceptible and which strategies are most effective in addressing it.Equip Americans with the tools to identify misinformation, make informed choices about what information they share, and address health misinformation in their communities, in partnership with trusted local leaders.

Limiting the spread of health misinformation is a moral and civic imperative that will require a whole-of-society effort.”Īccording to the surgeon general, the nation - individuals, families, health professionals, research institutions, educators, tech platforms, media organizations, governments and civic and community stakeholders - can start by focusing on the following areas of action: “It can cause confusion, sow mistrust, harm people’s health, and undermine public health efforts.

“Health misinformation is a serious threat to public health,” Murthy wrote in the advisory, released Thursday. Murthy (pictured above) urged all Americans to help slow the spread of health misinformation during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

May be spreading misinformation undermine efforts