Apr 21 Conspiracy theorists burn 5G towers claiming link to virus By Kelvin Chan, Beatrice Dupuy, Associated Press In Europe, conspiracy theories linking new 5G mobile networks and the coronavirus pandemic are fueling arson attacks on cell towers. Continue reading
Apr 10 Why uncertainty about coronavirus breeds opportunity for misinformation By Courtney Vinopal Americans right now face a dual challenge: to protect themselves and others from the new illness COVID-19, which is highly contagious and potentially deadly, as well as from the dangers of misinformation about the virus. Continue reading
Mar 25 WATCH: Pompeo accuses China of disinformation campaign on coronavirus By Zoe Rohrich In a media briefing Wednesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said China was “the first country to know about the risk to the world from this virus. And they repeatedly delayed sharing that information with the globe."… Continue reading
Feb 18 Out-of-context photos are a powerful low-tech form of misinformation By Lisa Fazio, The Conversation The majority of visual misinformation that people are exposed to involves simple forms of deception like recycling legitimate old photographs and videos and presenting them as evidence of recent events. Continue reading
Feb 04 Twitter to label altered media and remove if it may cause harm By Barbara Ortutay, Associated Press Twitter will begin to label and in some cases remove doctored or manipulated photos, audio and videos that are designed to mislead people. Continue reading
Feb 03 UN health agency tackles misinformation over virus outbreak By Jamey Keaten, Associated Press The World Health Organization is trying to tamp down excessive fear, gear up preparedness, and make sure people get their facts straight about the new coronavirus and the threat it poses. Since the outbreak began in the Chinese city of… Continue reading
Jan 07 Facebook bans deepfakes in fight against online manipulation By Kelvin Chan, Associated Press Facebook says it is forbidding the false but realistic clips created with artificial intelligence and sophisticated tools. But the policy leaves plenty of loopholes. Continue reading
Jan 03 Watch 4:23 How 2020 candidates are grappling with online disinformation By John Yang As the 2020 presidential campaign heats up, candidates are facing an unprecedented challenge: the growing scale and variety of disinformation online. John Yang reports on the difficulty of verifying that content is authentic and not manipulated -- especially when it… Continue watching
Dec 13 Watch 8:15 Are social media giants doing enough to prevent the spread of misinformation? Social media has revolutionized the way we connect and communicate -- and certainly not all for the better. In his new book, “Antisocial: Online Extremists, Techno-Utopians, and the Hijacking of the American Conversation,” Andrew Marantz explores how digital platforms full… Continue watching
Nov 26 How to keep conspiracy theories from ruining your time with family By Nsikan Akpan When done correctly, debunking can combat people’s faith in false conspiracy theories. Here's a neuroscience-backed guide to approaching your loved ones’ conspiratorial beliefs. Continue reading