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PATIENT SAFETY
The medical impact of misinformation
Amy Hodgetts, copywriter at digital marketing agency, Mediaworks, details the effect of so-called ‘fake news’, sharing misinformation on social media, and the impact it has on the medical industry.
In recent years, the phrase ‘fake news’ has become part of the common lexicon. From false accusations to hoax stories, these tales have enough shock value to make people click the share button and send it on to many more eyes. And therein lies the problem: people share a story from the headline and don’t often read article in full, much less critically look at its sources and studies. This lack of context can make it incredibly easy to present fiction as facts. For example, ShareChecklist1
cites a
recent viral video showing a crowd of people fighting. The video description claimed it showed extremists rioting in Birmingham; in fact, it was a video of Swedish football fans fighting. The website advises people to use the S.H.A.R.E checklist before liking, commenting or sharing online. The S.H.A.R.E checklist is designed to ensure that people are not contributing to the spread of harmful content: S Source: Make sure that the story is written by a trusted source with a reputation for accuracy. If it’s from an unfamiliar organisation, check for a website’s ‘About’ section to learn more
H Headline: Always read beyond the headline. If it sounds unbelievable, it very well might be. Be wary if something doesn’t seem to add up
A Analyse: Make sure you check the facts. Just because the story may have been seen several times, doesn’t mean it’s true. If unsure, look at fact checking websites and other reliable sources to double check
R Retouched: Check whether the image looks like it has been – or could have been – manipulated. False news stories
often contain retouched photographs or re- edited clips. Sometimes they are authentic, but have been taken out of context
E Error: Many false news stories have phony or look-alike URLs. Look out for misspellings, bad grammar or awkward layouts.
Establishing credibility
People have fallen into a terrible habit – credibility is now deemed by the number of online shares, and not the person who wrote the piece. A million shares behind a ‘medical’ article written by someone informed by hearsay and Google searches is deemed more credible than a professional reporting from a medical conference with quotes from experts debunking the issue. People are more concerned with defending
Figures show that in aneight-year period within the UK, more than half a million children remain unvaccinated against measles. One of the key reasons behind this staggering statistic is cited as the anti-vaccination movement.
NOVEMBER 2019
their ‘right’ to believe what they want, than they are with seeking out new information and discourse from an opposing view, in order to build a more informed view. Thus, fake news is cherry-picked by the user to suit their current beliefs – the affirmation comes not from the studies or sources, but from whether or not it fits the reader’s already-held views on the topic. If it does, it’s quickly shared. This is dangerous at the best of times, but for the medical industry, it can be nothing short of deadly. In this article, we will explore the problem of misinformation in the public eye, and how it is causing problems for the medical industry in particular – for both medical professionals and patients.
Misinformation: Vaccines cause autism
One of the biggest news stories of 2019 so far has been the steady rise in the risk of a measles outbreak in the UK and the US. Figures show that in an eight-year period within the UK, more than half a million children remain unvaccinated against measles.2
One of the key reasons behind this staggering statistic is cited as the anti-vaccination movement.
But this movement is, in fact, many years
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