Combating Misinformation in the COVID-19 Era

(PARTS 1 & 2 of 6)

Permanent Facepalm.

“A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.” ~Unknown

It’s too bad the conspiracy people who need to read this the most… Probably won’t.

(That said, I’m aware of its length —stay tuned for a bite-sized “tip” style version!)

PREFACE

I’d like to begin with transparency: If anything in this article or any of my online posts comes across as condescending/patronizing — I am doing my best to weed out these tones — but admit it is difficult. It is an incredibly stressful, even frustrating time, especially for us healthcare workers.

I am choosing in this article to use more precise wording rather than a bite-size standard blog format. I hope this does not come across as “talking down” to anyone. Instead of me simplifying, I instead ask my readers to level up their language, so we can emerge from this crisis more scientifically literate and educated than ever before. If we are to be taking biomedical concerns like viruses, vaccines, and cellular frequencies seriously, we should all be using bigger words.

I must admit, I’m simply already on the defensive. By my simple-yet-vehement social…