Dear Neil and HIFA colleagues,
Following on from Dr Al-Shobaji's post to the forum recently about the change in twitter's misinformation policy [ https://www.hifa.org/dgroups-rss/twitter-and-misinformation-cases-pandem... ], it is interesting to read the following from ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation):
https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2022-12-08/covid-misinformation-spik...
Is, as the final sentence says, medical expertise being undermined?
Julie
HIFA profile: Julie N Reza is a UK-based specialist in communications for biosciences, global health & international development (www.globalbiomedia.co.uk). She predominantly works with NGOs and not-for-profit organisations. Previously she was the senior science editor at TDR, based at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva; prior to this she worked at the Wellcome Trust, UK, leading educational projects on international health topics including trypanosomiasis and trachoma. She has a PhD in immunology and a specialist degree in science communication. She also has several years research and postgraduate teaching experience. She is a member of the HIFA Steering Group and HIFA Social Media Working Group. www.hifa.org/people/steering-group www.hifa.org/people/social-media www.hifa.org/support/members/julie Email: naimareza AT hotmail.com
[*Note from NPW, moderator: Here are extracts from the article:
COVID-19, vaccine misinformation 'spiking' on Twitter after Elon Musk fires moderators
The volume of COVID-19 misinformation has jumped alarmingly on Twitter, while anti-vaccination networks that had formerly been dispersed are already reforming and reorganising, according to research...
Mr Musk made a special point of allowing COVID-19 misinformation, announcing on November 30 that his new company was "no longer enforcing the COVID-19 misleading information policy"...
The spread of COVID misinformation may ultimately cost lives and undermine trust in medical expertise, but it's also a sign of what's to come...
"It's the worst, it really is the worst; we're back to a situation where medical expertise at the highest level … is being undermined."]
