The COVID-19 pandemic has not only brought upon sickness and death to millions around the world. It has also led to the overabundance of mis- and disinformation related to the disease, made even more damaging by their virality on social media.
The coronavirus infodemic came in different mutations: from death hoaxes of celebrities, fake quote cards of public figures, and spurious and fear-mongering reports about massive death tolls in other countries, to dangerous conspiracy theories, financial aid scams, and false COVID-19 cures that could actually endanger people’s lives.
Looking back at the chaos of the year 2020, VERA Files Fact Check presents a timeline of the COVID-19 mis- and disinformation it has debunked and tracked from January to November.
Watch the video here:
(Guided by the code of principles of the International Fact-Checking Network at Poynter, VERA Files tracks the false claims, flip-flops, misleading statements of public officials and figures, and debunks them with factual evidence. Find out more about this initiative and our methodology.)
