“In the coronavirus era, rumors, misinformation, conspiracies spread faster than contagion“

“No, Washington state is not going to be quarantined by the federal government. No, the National Guard is not imposing martial law.

“Those were just the latest, and some of the most outrageous false rumors, to be spreading across social media and word of mouth during this ongoing coronavirus crisis.

“False information is inciting worry, panic and leading people down paths that could, in the long run, make them ill-equipped to fight the virus.

“‘The volume of information — good and bad — is like nothing we’ve ever seen,’ said Jevin West, director of the Center for an Informed Public and an associate professor at the University of Washington’s Information School. ‘The misinformation on this topic is massive’

“Rumors thrive on uncertainty, and there’s plenty of that surrounding the coronavirus.”

Stopping the rumors

When you are presented with a rumor, there are steps you can take to verify it, West said.

First, use a handful of reliable sources: CDC, WHO, National Institutes of Health and local government officials.

“Check to see if they’re saying the same things,” West said, by Craig Sailor, Tacoma News-Tribune. Read more