Fighting misinformation in the age of COVID-19

On December 4, 2016, Edgar Welch walked into the Comet Ping Pong Pizzeria in Washington, D.C. A resident of North Carolina, Welch didn’t make the 368-mile trek just to grab a slice. He was there to break up a child trafficking ring he’d “discovered” online. Armed with an AR-15, the would-be hero spent 45 minutes terrorizing customers and employees as he searched the building. Surprise: he didn’t find any trafficking.

The Comet conspiracy that led Welch into that pizzeria is just one example of the many made-up “news” stories that show up on our feeds every day. Like a bad headline from the National Enquirer, they’re sometimes easy enough to spot. But what do we do when they’re not? How do we quickly tell the difference between true and false, fact and fiction?

Consider the recent conspiracy theory video: Plandemic. Though this video’s claims have been roundly debunked and refuted, its clever argument style and high production value enabled it to spread like wildfire on social media. As a result, millions have been led to believe the vaccine industry is to blame for our current state of affairs.

In the Age of COVID-19, the stakes are as high as they’ve ever been. Spreading false claims could end up getting yourself and others around you infected.

We Can’t Keep Up

Thomas Jefferson is often quoted as saying “an educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people.” But how are we supposed to educate ourselves? Though we spend about half the day connected to media, we can’t keep up the neverending torrent of news, opinion, and research.

In our media-saturated world, each one of us must ultimately check the facts ourselves if we want to stay well informed. That can be exhausting. Add in the constant fight to discern between fact and fiction, and it sometimes feels downright impossible. Especially in the political arena, too many of our friends and neighbors are giving up and tuning out.

Two Questions to Help Fight Misinformation

I understand the pressure to give up, but tuning out the world just isn’t an option right now. We’ve got to stay informed; our and others’ welfare depends on it. That said, I offer you two questions to ask of every story you see:

1. Is it opinion or news? The traditional lines between editorial and news have gotten a bit fuzzy lately. Ask yourself: is this article from a widely respected news outlet or an opinion-driven blogger? The latter may have value, but you should know that whatever “news” they provide is also being run through a partisan filter. If you’re not sure, sites like AllSides can help you see which way a publisher leans.
2. How do they back up their claims? The best journalists independently verify their sources, and clearly detail them in their articles. However, some internet news outlets are far less diligent. If you want to know whether what you’re reading is worthwhile, follow the sources. And, look to independent fact-checkers to verify and add context — they take a non-partisanship pledge, and they back up their ratings with detailed analysis.

Conclusion: Strength in Numbers

Those two questions are vital in determining whether a claim is credible. At the end of the day, though, everyone has a life to live. While the news exists for the public’s benefit, few of us have the time or inclination to do all the research necessary to vet each article that comes our way.

That’s why we need each other. We can’t all do the work to vet every article we come across, but we can do our best to only share those articles we know to be legitimate.

Our.News has developed a browser extension and a mobile app — “Newstrition” labels for news and content — to help people do just that. Like the information on the side of a cereal box, the label doesn’t tell you whether or not to buy the article. It just says what’s inside so that you can quickly make an informed decision, before sharing.

Social media has given a voice to billions. Unfortunately, it’s also allowed a steady stream of noise to drown out the news that really matters. In the Age of COVID-19, we owe it to one another to tune out the noise and tune in the truth. It’s time to take back our news from the marketers, conspiracy theorists, partisans, and demagogues.

Fighting Misinformation with our global fact checking community

On Monday, June 29, I’ll join a group of tech leaders at Poynter.org’s Global Fact 7 — a virtual gathering of fact-checkers from across the globe. Moderated by TechCrunch Media Reporter Anthony Ha, this exclusive panel will discuss the innovative solutions startups like ours are developing to fight misinformation online, and our efforts to support the fact checking community. Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, where we’ll be sharing video and recaps of our discussion.

To learn more about Our.News, our mission to fight back on misinformation, or to download our browser extension and app, visit us at Our.News.