The real-world effect of coronavirus conspiracy theories
This is what happens when the fringe becomes mainstream.
20 July, 2020
Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images
- New research finds that YouTube is the worst disseminator of coronavirus misinformation.
- People that rely on social media for their news are more likely to believe coronavirus conspiracy beliefs.
- With only 50 percent of Americans willing to get a vaccination, conspiracy theories are fueling a public health crisis.
<p>As Florida becomes the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/florida-invited-the-nation-to-its-reopening--then-it-became-a-new-coronavirus-epicenter/2020/07/07/74645c82-c069-11ea-b178-bb7b05b94af1_story.html" target="_blank">global epicenter</a> of the novel coronavirus pandemic with over 15,000 cases reported in one day and 3.3 million cases overall, a Windermere restaurant <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7174015/coronavirus-florida-no-mask-restaurant/" target="_blank">celebrated</a> by offering free grilled cheese sandwiches to any customer showing up without a mask.</p><p>The region, and the entire state, has become a hotbed for coronavirus conspiracy theories—a microcosm of America. The nation leads the world in coronavirus infections <a href="https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/countries-where-coronavirus-has-spread/" target="_blank">by a lot</a>. We likely lead the world in conspiracy theories about the virus as well. These phenomenons are not separate. </p><p>While it's easy to roll your eyes at anti-mask crusades, <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/psychological-medicine/article/healthprotective-behaviour-social-media-usage-and-conspiracy-belief-during-the-covid19-public-health-emergency/A0DC2C5E27936FF4D5246BD3AE8C9163" target="_blank">new research</a>, published in the journal Psychological Medicine, investigates the real-world effects of coronavirus conspiracy theories. </p><p>Corresponding author, <a href="https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/dr-daniel-allington" target="_blank">Daniel Allington</a> of King's College London, analyzed data from three surveys regarding varying aspects of COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs. His team looked at responses from 5,453 UK residents. They were especially interested in how social media disseminates health misinformation. The findings will not surprise anyone with a social media account:</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"All three studies found a negative relationship between COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs and COVID-19 health-protective behaviours, and a positive relationship between COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs and use of social media as a source of information about COVID-19."</p><p>Allington identifies YouTube and Facebook as the primary drivers of misinformation. The unregulated nature of social media is cause for concern. In fact, the team discovered that people that consume regulated media, such as broadcast or print, are more likely to engage in protective health measures, such as wearing a mask and social distancing. The opposite is true for people that receive most of their health guidance from social media. </p>
Coronavirus: Conspiracy Theories: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a5188224279cc959c6a112713437d500"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0b_eHBZLM6U?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p>Allington's team used data collected from partnerships with CitizenMe (Study 1) and Ipsos-MORI (Studies 2 and 3). In the first study, respondents had to identify the truth behind three conspiracy beliefs:</p><ul><li>The virus that causes COVID-19 was probably created in a laboratory</li><li>The symptoms of COVID-19 seem to be connected to 5G mobile network radiation</li><li>The COVID-19 pandemic was planned by certain pharmaceutical corporations and government agencies</li></ul><p>Among their findings, younger people tend to buy into one or more conspiracy belief, while older respondents are more likely to engage in protective behaviors. Women listen to public health guidance more than men, though there is no gender distinction in those that believe in conspiracy theories. </p><p>Study 2 also asked about the possibility of the novel coronavirus being created in a laboratory, while Study 3 looked more deeply into the respondents' usage of social media. In each case, the results were clear: people that rely on social media for news are more likely to peddle in conspiracy theories. </p><p>YouTube appears to be the most problematic source of misinformation. Slickly produced shows, such as London Real, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2y5v6vJCso" target="_blank">feature</a> prominent anti-vaxxers like Del Bigtree. The anti-vaxx propaganda film, "<a href="https://bigthink.com/coronavirus/the-plandemic" target="_self">Plandemic</a>," was viewed over eight million times on YouTube before it was removed; the producer, Mikki Willis, is <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mikki.willis/posts/2875973472513592" target="_blank">using this spotlight</a> to raise funds for Part 2. These are only two examples in a deluge of anti-vaxx videos driving a dangerous narrative. </p><p>The danger is especially prevalent as a coronavirus vaccine becomes a possibility. Oxford University researchers have <a href="https://apnews.com/fdd8be1fafa10b71d4de0dabbcd74bdf?fbclid=IwAR1djL-pXBBxsImTlYIwnlYvJG2lHvtMVAZCfojI1MS_iVZFwNj-IAnypnI" target="_blank">just discovered</a> a strong candidate. Still, a June poll found that <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/06/just-50-americans-plan-get-covid-19-vaccine-here-s-how-win-over-rest" target="_blank">only 50 percent of Americans</a> plan on getting a coronavirus vaccine. If anti-vaxx organizations continue to influence the public, less than half of this country could receive a vaccination. </p><p>In America, conspiracy beliefs are not only spread on social media. A <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/coronavirus-covid-19/fox-news-pushed-coronavirus-misinformation-253-times-just-five-days" target="_blank">recent study</a> found Fox News pushing coronavirus misinformation 253 times over a five-day period. The going narrative is that vaccination is a question of "individual liberty," and if you're vaccinated you shouldn't worry about the unvaccinated. As with other misinformation, this is false, exposing the real danger of coronavirus misinformation. </p><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzQ4MzQ4MS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNjg5NDM3M30.6Ms3HnVzIdIQxMnzqxyOTSR48kB8vPBr7j3hUCbkmD8/img.jpg?width=1245&coordinates=0%2C74%2C0%2C31&height=700" id="8aa4d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="87e6df1f60803b106ff4a118961b25a3" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="women holding American flag" />
People participate in a Reopen New Jersey protest on May 25, 2020 in Point Pleasant, New Jersey.
Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images
<p>In her book, "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1555977200?tag=bigthink00-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1" target="_blank">On Immunity</a>," writer Eula Biss asks readers to imagine vaccination "as a kind of banking of immunity." When getting vaccinated, you contribute to a collective bank, ensuring those who cannot or will not get vaccinated are protected. Herd immunity only occurs when a population reaches a certain threshold; that threshold is well over 50 percent.</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"The unvaccinated person is protected by the bodies around her, bodies through which disease is not circulating," writes Biss. "But a vaccinated person is surrounded by bodies that host disease is left vulnerable to vaccine failure or fading immunity. We are protected not so much by our own skin, but by what is beyond it. The boundaries between our bodies begin to dissolve here." </p><p>The prevalence of immunosuppressed individuals unable to get vaccinated is left out of this conversation. This is a growing concern in countries like America, where obesity has led to increasing numbers of immunosuppressed citizens. </p><p>While the myth that children are protected against the ravages of the coronavirus persists, the <a href="https://apple.news/AiPKQDP1BTEuNtlRaVJ-6bg" target="_blank">long-term complications</a> of this multi-system disease are still becoming known, making anti-vaxx parents accountable for potential harm that may come. </p><p>Every citizen should be wary of a rushed vaccine. Researchers are attempting to create a vaccine faster than ever. There are inherent dangers in such a pursuit. But costs associated with rejecting any vaccine on the grounds of perceived "sovereignty" is even more dangerous. The price we'll pay for this misinformation is higher than any society can bear. </p><p>--</p><p><em>Stay in touch with Derek on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/derekberes" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DerekBeresdotcom" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://derekberes.substack.com/" target="_blank">Substack</a>. His next book is</em> "<em>Hero's Dose: The Case For Psychedelics in Ritual and Therapy."</em></p>
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Only 9% of 15-year-olds can tell when facts are really facts — not opinions
An international study finds the vast majority of 15-year-olds can't tell when they're being manipulated.
07 December, 2019
Image source: mooremedia/Shutterstock
- International reading tests administered in 79 countries find most teens to be gullible when consuming information.
- As learning has moved online, absolutely reliable sources have become scarce.
- Most teens can't detect the validity of supposed "facts" from contextual clues.
<p style="text-align: center;">Teen: <em>Dad! This site has those $159 earbuds I want for just $49.99!</em></p><p style="text-align: center;">Parent: <em>That doesn't sound right.</em></p><p style="text-align: center;">Teen: <em>I know! Isn't it a great deal?</em></p><p style="text-align: center;">Parent: <em>I don't see an actual brand name here.</em></p><p style="text-align: center;">Teen: <em>But they're $49.99!! Less than $50!!</em></p><p style="text-align: center;">Parent: <em>And the seller is halfway across the world. Um…</em></p><p style="text-align: center;">Teen: <em>$49.99!!!</em></p><p>The takeaway from this actual conversation is this: The teen hasn't yet learned that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. A <a href="https://www.oecd.org/pisa/publications/pisa-2018-resultshtm.htm" target="_blank">study</a> from the <a href="https://www.oecd.org" target="_blank">OECD</a> Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) says this is by no means a rare phenomenon. It finds that just 9 percent of 15-year-olds can actually tell when facts are really facts and not just opinions. </p><p>In our current climate of rampant disinformation and "fake news," the implications are troubling.</p>
About OECD and the PISA survey
<p>OECD stands for "Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development." It's an international organization that's dedicated to the identification and implementation of policies for tackling the world's social, economic, and environmental challenges. Thirty-six countries are members, and the impact of the group's work is felt in more than 100 countries. The OECD collects data and develops reports, including recommendations, for its worldwide audience.</p><p>The Programme for International Student Assessment, PISA, is one such report. Subtitled, "What Students Know and Can Do," it's the product of reading, mathematics, and science tests administered to 15-year-olds in 79 countries. The focus in the 2018 tests was reading. The tests were given on computer screens in recognition that this is where most of today's teens do most of their reading.</p><p>The very best readers — better than in any other country — come from four provinces in China: Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Though these areas are exceptional within the country, China overall still sits at the top of the list of the world's most advanced readers.</p><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjE0NDU4My9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMzc0ODU5NX0.OW2EH4L-OrK96wcRTIUM8HpnWWgJA3YE5RxNK6O106w/img.jpg?width=980" id="22f94" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4c80d197734e9d50c2da7e4128e8b4f3" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />Image source: boreala/Shutterstock/Big Think
Reading is one thing, understanding is another
<p>The world, as the report notes, has changed. Reading used to be about the straightforward extraction and absorption of information from reliable sources. Not so for today's learners, says the report:</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;"><em>"Today, they will find hundreds of thousands of answers to their questions online, and it is up to them to figure out what is true and what is false, what is right and what is wrong."</em></p><p>Alarmingly, the PISA research finds that less than 1 in 10 of students tested are "able to distinguish between fact and opinion, based on implicit cues pertaining to the content or source of the information."</p><p>Only in six nations did students do better than 1 in 7 at successfully identifying actual facts — China, Canada, Estonia, Finland, Singapore, and the United States.</p><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjE0NDU4Ni9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MzQ0OTE4N30._1XooNgrARWHPePwl9WvV3u0CxVgn1Xg1CvipDiPS38/img.jpg?width=980" id="2e93b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="523051799ba2e56d5a284e22df75037b" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />Image source: OECD
Proficiencies
<p>The report summarizes reading proficiency by focusing on two of the six-levels in their reading skill assessment scale.</p><p>At Level 2, "students are able to identify the main idea in a text of moderate length, find information based on explicit, though sometimes complex, criteria, and reflect on the purpose and form of texts when explicitly directed to do so." About 77 percent of students on average achieved Level 2 proficiency.</p><p>The best readers, comprising just 8.7 percent of the tested teens, performed at Levels 5 or 6 where "students are able to comprehend lengthy texts, deal with concepts that are abstract or counterintuitive, and establish distinctions between fact and opinion, based on implicit cues pertaining to the content or source of the information."</p><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjE0NDU4Ny9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwMTM5OTA1Mn0.sBqjfHKaAiDgprtB8Shk4yE_d457Hh50yLvCkSkiOP4/img.jpg?width=1245&coordinates=83%2C103%2C268%2C244&height=700" id="9a360" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="eeda97c189d5085dc4bfc3cbd73ecbfe" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />Image source: fizkes/Shutterstock
Hope in AI
<p>The authors of the PISA report see promise in the leveraging of A.I. for helping young people develop a stronger sense of context that would allow them to more accurately assess informational sources.</p><p>They suggest "we need to think harder about how to develop first-class humans, and how we can pair the A.I. of computers with the cognitive, social and emotional skills, and values of people." They do note with caution that A.I. itself is ethically neutral while the humans who program it are typically not. This is one of the concerns being studied for the OECD's upcoming Education 2030 project.</p><p>Overall, the PISA findings serve as clear notice that we need to be smarter about teaching. "That is why education in the future is not just about teaching people, but also about helping them develop a reliable compass to navigate an increasingly complex, ambiguous, and volatile world.</p>
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Cambridge scientists create a successful "vaccine" against fake news
A large new study uses an online game to inoculate people against fake news.
26 June, 2019
University of Cambridge
- Researchers from the University of Cambridge use an online game to inoculate people against fake news.
- The study sample included 15,000 players.
- The scientists hope to use such tactics to protect whole societies against disinformation.
<p><br></p></div>
<p>A large new University of Cambridge study proves that it's possible to teach regular people to spot fake news. By analyzing the responses of <strong>15,000 </strong>participants, the researchers found that "psychological resistance" to fake news could be increased by having the subjects play an online game.</p><p>In the browser game, called <a href="https://getbadnews.com/#intro" target="_blank">Bad News</a>, launched in February 2018, players become propaganda producers. They are allowed to manipulate the news and social media, invoking anger and fear. Tactics at their disposal include twitter bots, conspiracy theories, impersonation and photoshopped evidence. Still, while they use such Machiavellian approaches to attract followers, the players must maintain a "credibility score" to continue to be persuasive.</p>
<p><strong>Dr. Sander van der Linden,</strong> Director of the Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab, explained that the task before the researchers was not easy, since fake news spreads very fast and can go "deeper than the truth." That makes it harder and harder to stand up to misinformation. </p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"We wanted to see if we could pre-emptively debunk, or 'pre-bunk', fake news by exposing people to a weak dose of the methods used to create and spread disinformation, so they have a better understanding of how they might be deceived," <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/fake-news-vaccine-works-pre-bunk-game-reduces-susceptibility-to-disinformation" target="_blank">shared the scientist.</a></p><p>He called their game "a psychological vaccination." This work builds on the so-called "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inoculation_theory" target="_blank">inoculation theory</a>," which maintains that beliefs can be guarded against influence the same way you can protect a body against diseases – by being exposed to smaller doses of them over time to build up immunity.</p>
<p>To see how well the participants were inoculated against fake news, they were told to rate how trustworthy various tweets and headlines were. They had to do this before and after playing the game for at least 15 minutes. </p><p>The researchers discovered that the subjects were eventually able to pick out fake news better, finding them <strong>21% less</strong> reliable after the game. Playing made no difference in how they ranked real news. </p><p>Not only that, the scientists saw that those who were most vulnerable to fake news prior to the game were inoculated the strongest.</p>
<p>While they perceive that those who actually played the game were generally younger, male, liberal and educated, the scientists built in a nonpartisan mechanism into the game to avoid bias. The subjects were able to choose fake news either from the left or the right.</p><p>Dr. Linden expressed excitement at using such methods across whole populations to build "societal resistance to fake news". </p><p>His colleague and the study's co-author<strong> Jon Roozenbeek</strong>, also of Cambridge University, <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/fake-news-vaccine-works-pre-bunk-game-reduces-susceptibility-to-disinformation" target="_blank">saw</a> the benefits of their investigation in uncovering pro-active measures that could be taken to fight against bad information. He hoped to use such tactics to create "a general 'vaccine' against fake news."</p>
<p>The game, created by the scientists, in conjunction with the Dutch media collective DROG as well as the design agency Gusmanson, has been translated into nine different languages. It is also being developed for WhatsApp and has a "<a href="https://getbadnews.com/droggame_book/junior-uk/#intro" target="_blank">junior version</a>" for children aged 8-10. The researchers hope to use that version to develop early media literacy.</p><p>Check out the study published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-019-0279-9" target="_blank"><em>Palgrave Communications</em></a><em>.</em></p><p><em><a href="https://getbadnews.com/#intro" target="_blank"><strong>Play the game Bad News here.</strong></a></em></p>
Preserving truth: How to confront and correct fake news
<div class="rm-shortcode" data-media_id="YXfNZslk" data-player_id="FvQKszTI" data-rm-shortcode-id="c37a79c8ee5c96749923fe44c2549f2c"> <div id="botr_YXfNZslk_FvQKszTI_div" class="jwplayer-media" data-jwplayer-video-src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/YXfNZslk-FvQKszTI.js"> <img src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/thumbs/YXfNZslk-1920.jpg" class="jwplayer-media-preview" /> </div> <script src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/YXfNZslk-FvQKszTI.js"></script> </div> None
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Google 2.0: Why MIT scientists are building a new search engine
The truth is a messy business, but an information revolution is coming. Danny Hillis and Peter Hopkins discuss knowledge, fake news and disruption at NeueHouse in Manhattan.
10 October, 2018
- In 2005, Danny Hillis co-founded Freebase, an open-source knowledge database that was acquired by Google in 2010. Freebase formed the foundation of Google's famous Knowledge Graph, which enhances its search engine results and powers Google Assistant and Google Home.
- Hillis is now building The Underlay, a new knowledge database and future search engine app that is meant to serve the common good rather than private enterprise. He calls it his "penance for having sold the other one to Google."
- Powerful collections of machine-readable knowledge are becoming exceedingly important, but most are privatized and serve commercial goals.
- Decentralizing knowledge and making information provenance transparent will be a revolution in the so-called "post-truth age". The Underlay is being developed at MIT by Danny Hillis, SJ Klein, Travis Rich.
Pope: 'Fake news started in the Garden of Eden'
Pope Francis’ 2018 World Communications Day message explains the dangers of fake news and what journalists and the public must do to combat it.
25 January, 2018
(NICHOLAS KAMM)
In his message for 2018 World Communications Day, Pope Francis rallied to the defense of journalism—if not the news media—comparing fake news to the snake in the Garden of Eden for its misleading, destructive power. This is a valuable, clear-eyed message for anyone, regardless of belief system. And to be clear, the pope’s not talking about fake news as defined in White House press briefings or presidential tweets. He has something very different—nearly the opposite—in mind:
<blockquote>
<p>“In general, it refers to the spreading of disinformation online or in the traditional media. It has to do with false information based on non-existent or distorted data meant to deceive and manipulate the reader. Spreading fake news can serve to advance specific goals, influence political decisions, and serve economic interests.”</p>
</blockquote><p>The Pontiff’s annual message is in honor of the feast of St. Francis de Sales, patron saint of journalists, in whom the Pope sees our best defense. “A weighty responsibility rests on the shoulders of those whose job is to provide information, namely, journalists, the protectors of news. In today’s world, theirs is, in every sense, not just a job; it is a mission.” He also recognizes the pressures that may cause news outlets to fail, reminding journalists that “they must remember that the heart of information is not the speed with which it is reported or its audience impact.”</p><p>Separating truth from lies, however, can be hard for journalists — and anyone else — says the Pope, since fake news uses “deliberately evasive and subtly misleading rhetoric and at times the use of sophisticated psychological mechanisms.” He points out that its use of goes way back to the Garden of Eden when the Snake provokes Eve by asserting something only <em>partly</em> true: "Did God really say you were not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?" Though Eve corrects him, saying God spoke of only the Tree of Knowledge, she’s nonetheless taken in by the appeal inherent in his subterfuge, clinging to his words, “You will not die!” before taking her fateful bite. After all, the Pope warns, disinformation can so subtly work in listeners’ minds “that even authoritative denials fail to contain the damage.”</p><p><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODI0MTA4MS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMjc5OTQwMH0.n3q4fsqD3YbVq9opcXWudh8_Ao5rwRUxy3Ybr840gPY/img.jpg?width=980" id="af246" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a723cf1c0a7ee9cb9c1dec8eaf20a094" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image"></p><p><span style="color: #737d83; font-size: 13px;">(</span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mysza/" style="font-size: 13px;">KASIA</a><span style="color: #737d83; font-size: 13px;">)</span></p><p>Francis’ message describes a diabolical foe dependent on a human weakness that allows it to multiply quickly, and its horrible cost:</p><blockquote>
<p>“What is at stake is our greed. Fake news often goes viral, spreading so fast that it is hard to stop, not because of the sense of sharing that inspires the social media, but because it appeals to the insatiable greed so easily aroused in human beings. The economic and manipulative aims that feed disinformation are rooted in a thirst for power, a desire to possess and enjoy, which ultimately makes us victims of something much more tragic: the deceptive power of evil that moves from one lie to another in order to rob us of our interior freedom."</p>
</blockquote><p>Fake news works so well thanks to two attributes in particular, says the Pope:</p><ul class="ee-ul"> </ul><li>It mimics truth so effectively it’s hard to differentiate from fact.</li><li>It’s “captious,” meaning that “it grasps people’s attention by appealing to stereotypes and common social prejudices, and exploiting instantaneous emotions like anxiety, contempt, anger and frustration.”</li><p>And our own personally curated social media filter bubbles unfortunately do more than simply block out people we don’t agree with, according to the Pontiff:</p><blockquote>
<p>“Disinformation thus thrives on the absence of healthy confrontation with other sources of information that could effectively challenge prejudices and generate constructive dialogue; instead, it risks turning people into unwilling accomplices in spreading biased and baseless ideas. The tragedy of disinformation is that it discredits others, presenting them as enemies, to the point of demonizing them and fomenting conflict. Fake news is a sign of intolerant and hypersensitive attitudes, and leads only to the spread of arrogance and hatred. That is the end result of untruth.”</p>
</blockquote><p><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODI0MTA4Mi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyOTY1Nzk0NH0.iUegr2nbflcOcXc5wAqSlAM1UGsgjxWIlLnnYUPWVXE/img.jpg?width=980" id="e7896" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2e2b71757a2d1eb8a6ad4d87c488d3cd" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image"></p><p><span style="color: #737d83; font-size: 13px;">(</span><a href="https://www.gettyimages.com/search/photographer?family=editorial&photographer=MAX+ROSSI" style="font-size: 13px;">MAX ROSSI</a><span style="color: #737d83; font-size: 13px;">)</span></p><p>While lauding educational efforts to help people identify disinformation, and the drafting of new regulations to combat it, the Pope has praise for “the work being done by tech and media companies in coming up with new criteria for verifying the personal identities concealed behind millions of digital profiles.”</p><p>Pope Francis, then, proposes a “journalism of peace”: “By that, I do not mean the saccharine kind of journalism that refuses to acknowledge the existence of serious problems or smacks of sentimentalism. On the contrary, I mean a journalism that is truthful and opposed to falsehoods, rhetorical slogans, and sensational headlines.”</p><p>The message closes with a poetic — and genuinely useful — checklist of behaviors that can help any of us stop fake news in its tracks, regardless of our religious beliefs or non-beliefs:</p><p><em>Lord, make us instruments of your peace. <br> Help us to recognize the evil latent in a communication that does not build communion. <br> Help us to remove the venom from our judgements. <br> Help us to speak about others as our brothers and sisters. <br> You are faithful and trustworthy; may our words be seeds of goodness for the world: <br> where there is shouting, let us practise listening; <br> where there is confusion, let us inspire harmony; <br> where there is ambiguity, let us bring clarity; <br> where there is exclusion, let us offer solidarity; <br> where there is sensationalism, let us use sobriety; <br> where there is superficiality, let us raise real questions; <br> where there is prejudice, let us awaken trust; <br> where there is hostility, let us bring respect; <br> where there is falsehood, let us bring truth. <br> Amen.</em></p><div><em> </em></div><div class="video-full-card-placeholder" data-slug="charlene-li-on-pope-francis" style="border: 1px solid #ccc;">
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