A media expert says it is becoming increasingly difficult for the public to differentiate the truth from misinformation and fake news in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
Director of Media Monitoring Africa William Bird says members of the public are in a challenging position as they try to understand why the virus manifests more in some people and not others, whether some people can be infected more than once and what the lasting impact of COVID-19 is on the body.
Bird says the new year will see those who distribute misinformation upping their game as some people worry about the safety of vaccines.
“The epic battles are just beginning. 2021 is going to be a great year for fighting disinformation, there’s no doubt about it, you know, the anti-vaccine pressure out there. But there are a lot of us out there to combat them so they are not going to find it as easy as they think.”
Below is the full interview with William bird:
In October, the Media Freedom, development and diversity held a discussion on fake news and disinformation:
