Webinar 20: Covering an Infodemic: Disinformation Surrounding COVID-19

In this discussion, Andy Carvin, senior fellow at the Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab) will join Indian health journalist Nayantara Narayanan (PROTO) and ICFJ's Global Director of Research Dr. Julie Posetti to take a look at global trends in COVID-19 disinformation - from health equipment scams to crackdowns, to attacks on critical journalists by political leaders, and assaults on democracy designed to sow panic in global markets. As the world continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, we are faced with a parallel crisis that the World Health Organization has called an infodemic: the public’s ever-increasing struggle to separate truth and rumors as the total amount of information about the outbreak expands exponentially. Social media is swarming with misinformation and speculation, with fears often spreading faster than reality, while regimes exploit the chaos in an attempt to suppress dissenting voices and weaken their adversaries.