Category: Misinformation, Disinformation, and Conspiracy Theories
How to Spot Medical Misinformation on Social Media and Determine What’s Trustworthy
Healthline Always fact-check health claims and trends on social media with what trustworthy sources are saying on the topic. Medical misinformation can have dangerous effects for you and others. Because health content on social media is typically delivered in a conversational tone, it can sometimes feel like listening to advice from a friend. But it’s […]
Oct 22, 2025
6 Reasons Why People Believe Health Misinformation
Psychology Today Reasons 1 and 2: Mistrust of Experts and Personal Autonomy Almost everyone has had at least one bad experience with the health care system—particularly in the United States, where both insurance and health care delivery lack consistency and coordination. And historically, certain groups—such as women and people of color—have faced discrimination and inequities in health […]
Oct 15, 2025
Fighting the Pandemic of Misinformation
The Hospitalist On November 28, 2021, scrolling through Twitter, I came across a tweet by @SailingKateMD: “Checked my ICU list after being gone for a few days for the holiday…Every single one of my COVID-19 patients died while I was gone. All of them.”1 It was my third year as an attending hospitalist. The world […]
Oct 1, 2025
Vaccine misinformation led to an officer’s murder at the CDC – politicians’ silence is deafening
Guardian After a gunman reportedly deceived by anti-vaccine disinformation opened fire on the CDC and fatally shot David Rose, a community grieves as Trump officials remain silent. A lie murdered David Rose. Five hundred cops packed the pews of an Atlanta megachurch on Friday to bear witness in person, to have a memory of the slain DeKalb […]
Aug 27, 2025
The Playbook Used to ‘Prove’ Vaccines Cause Autism
NYT The Playbook Used to ‘Prove’ Vaccines Cause Autism. The health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., says he wants to understand what causes autism. It’s a perfectly laudable goal and one that scientists have been pursuing for decades. But after announcing a large new federal study on the topic, he made a shocking choice by bringing in […]
Aug 20, 2025
How conspiracy theories about COVID’s origins are hampering our ability to prevent the next pandemic
The Conversation In late June, the Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO), a group of independent experts convened by the World Health Organization (WHO), published an assessment of the origins of COVID. The report concluded that although we don’t know conclusively where the virus that caused the pandemic came from: a zoonotic origin […]
Jul 30, 2025
The Rise of Misinformation and Distrust in Science
Harvard Global Health As part of our ongoing event series, this session is dedicated to navigating the complexities of health information, misinformation, and trust. We’ll explore how to distinguish between misinformation, disinformation, and legitimate differences in opinion. Participants will gain practical tools for fact-checking health claims and evaluating sources, while also examining how shifts in […]
Jul 2, 2025
RFK Jr. sent Congress ‘medical disinformation’ to defend COVID vaccine schedule change
NPR A document the Department of Health and Human Services sent to lawmakers to support Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s decision to change U.S. policy on COVID vaccines cites scientific studies that are unpublished or under dispute and mischaracterizes others. One health expert called the document “willful medical disinformation” about the safety of COVID vaccines […]
Jun 17, 2025
How to speak to a vaccine sceptic: research reveals what works
Nature Hesitancy about vaccinations is on the rise, but studies show there are specific ways to address people’s questions. In her professional life, Sophia Newcomer analyses vaccination trends and safety in the United States. The epidemiologist, at the University of Montana, Missoula, has investigated the factors that stop some people from completing their children’s recommended […]
Jun 11, 2025
Information Inoculation: Defending Against Medical Myths: Why we need to fight misinformation about vaccines | Ethan Lindenberger
TED Podcast Ethan Lindenberger never got vaccinated as a kid. So one day, he went on Reddit and asked a simple question: “Where do I go to get vaccinated?” The post went viral, landing Lindenberger in the middle of a heated debate about vaccination and, ultimately, in front of a US Senate committee. Less than […]
Jun 4, 2025