Misinformation: A Strategic Approach

Published on November 6, 2020

Misinformation: A Strategic Approach

As part one of a three-part webinar series:
Vaccination Misinformation Control and Prevention

From the Webinar

Key Takeaways

  • Misinformation is sticky. People often continue to rely on misinformation in their reasoning even if it has been corrected and they understand, believe, and later remember the correction.
  • Social platforms are addictive, attractive and irresistible by design – those that seed intentional disinformation leverage these platforms very well.
  • We must take an integrated, strategic approach to combat the challenge of vaccine misinformation.
  • Our job through social listening is to be able to listen through the fog of disinformation, hear the concerns people have about vaccines and misinformation, and respond through trusted voices that will reassure them and make them feel heard.
  • Consistent social data analytics and social listening are a powerful tool to inform programs, influence decisions, and understand the ‘stickiness’ of misinformation.
  • Media and social media can create a favorable environment for change, however change itself is most sustainable through interpersonal and participatory approaches. Peer-to-peer approaches and utilizing trusted leaders in the community is more effective.
  • Prebunking and proactive counter messaging with positive, true information is more effective than attempting to combat misinformation.

Tools and Resources

Context-specific relationship between misinformation and vaccination uptake

Vaccine Confidence Project: https://www.vaccineconfidence.org
This project monitors public confidence in immunization programs, detects public concerns around vaccines and determines the risk to immunization programs and provides guidance for early response.

Social listening and digital media

CrowdTangle: https://www.crowdtangle.com
A tool from Facebook to help follow, analyze, and report on what’s happening across social media.

Keyhole: https://keyhole.co
A tool to help marketers manage the impact of social media campaigns.

Coming soon: Vaccine Demand Observatory

Misinformation and fact-checking tools

Protection from Deception: https://firstdraftnews.org/sms-course
Free 2-week text message course from First draft that teaches people how to protect themselves and their community from misinformation (Eng, Es)

Debunking Handbook 2020: https://skepticalscience.com/debunking-handbook-2020-downloads-translations.html
The Handbook distills the most important research findings and current expert advice about debunking misinformation. Co-author Stephan Lewandowsky will be joining Sabin and UNICEF for our third webinar in the series, Inoculation against disinformation.  

Go Viral! https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/goviral
Online game that inoculates players against fake news by getting them to play the role of media manipulator and uncover their tactic (Eng, Fr, De)

Informed Health Choices: https://www.informedhealthchoices.org
Learning resources to enable primary students to think critically about health claims and make informed choices; includes a podcast for adults.

UNICEF’s Countering Misinformation Resources Pack: https://www.unicef.org/eca/media/13636/file

Coming soon: Vaccine Misinformation Management Guide

Join our Next Webinar in the Series

Please join Sabin and UNICEF for an interactive webinar: Infodemiology in Practice on November 12 at 7:00 a.m. ET. Hosted by the Sabin Boost Community, this event is targeted towards strategies for immunization professionals to manage vaccination misinformation. Sign up now.

Join panelists for a discussion on the emerging field of infodemiology and practical understanding of rumors, stigma and conspiracy theories as they pertain to vaccines. This webinar will feature illustrative case studies based on the ongoing work of Dr. Claire Wardle, Director and Founder of First Draft News to address misinformation, and insights from Md Saiful Islam, Associate Scientist at icddr,b and co-author of a global social media analysis on the COVID-19 Infodemic. 

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