"False stories are traveling faster than the truth" ... The World Health Organization said on Friday that it was working with social networks to combat the false information surrounding Covid-19 disease, including via applications most popular among young people. "We fight disinformation every day," said Andy Pattison, a WHO official, during a virtual press conference in Geneva.
On its website, WHO has created a section - "Put an end to misconceptions" - aimed at deconstructing the false news, myths and rumors that often circulate on social networks. The organization is also working with these social networks to better combat this disinformation, in particular via the TikTok social network and the Snapchat application, in order to be better heard by adolescents who are very fond of it.
"It is really important that we reach millions of people directly in their own language"
Aleksandra Kuzmanovic, head of social media at WHO, stressed that it was important for the organization to teach adolescents about the best ways to protect themselves from the virus. "We have adapted some of our video products to make them suitable" for TikTok which is usually perceived as a "fun platform", she explained.
WHO also works via WhatsApp, Viber, Facebook Messenger and Apple Business Chat, and hopes to open new channels of dialogue with the population through other social networks, such as the Line instant messaging application in Japan. "It is really important that we reach millions of people directly in their own language," said Andy Pattison.
Through collaboration with YouTube, the WHO is also trying to remove false information and rumors that have no scientific basis. And the organization is also collaborating with Google to ensure that public research on the Covid-19 brings out information from credible sources and information published by local authorities. "They found a good balance," said Andy Pattison.
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