The 'Infodemic' – Misinformation and Disinformation during COVID-19

As the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise, the world is increasingly confronted with what the World Health Organization has described as a “massive infodemic, which makes it hard for people to find trustworthy sources and reliable guidance when they need it”. Denials of expert advice, fake cures and lies about governments’ response to coronavirus–the consequences of disinformation could be harmful to the public. Besides that, a dramatic surge has been observed in hate speech, dehumanizing language and scapegoating narratives which are increasing the risk of exclusion and violence towards minorities and vulnerable groups. Several big tech companieshave collaboratedwith media and governments to limit the spread of disinformation on digital media, but what else could be done? How can we prevent misinformation from spreading through personalnetworks, includingsocial mediaand messaging? How can we raise critical media and information literacy in societies, and also reach the most vulnerable populations who might not be online?This webinar is the third in the series of “Digital Cooperation during COVID19 and beyond” webinars. This webinar aims to discuss specific communication challenges countries are facing during the COVID19 crisis,and strategies and tactics which have been deployed to counter disinformation and misinformation. In particular, discussion will focus on what could be possible immediate action that could lead the global response to COVID19. UNDPandUNESCO arestrategic partnersof this webinar