The Urgent Need for Coordinated and Comprehensive Efforts to Combat Misinformation

Misinformation is by no means a new topic. Documented efforts to misinform date back as far as 44 BC with a political smear campaign against Mark Antony carved on coins. Advances in communication technology, ranging from the invention of the printing press to the explosion of social media platforms, have accelerated the speed with which misinformation can travel and its global reach. Research has revealed numerous diverse contributors to our susceptibility to misinformation, including cognitive processing factors or reasoning styles; characteristics of the information and source; ease of consumption; political ideology; and demographic factors. Dr. Shurney elaborates on some of these factors later in this issue. Misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic has been rampant since the outset, particularly with regard to mask-wearing and vaccines. In fact, theWorldHealthOrganization and other global health organizations called on the world leaders and other stakeholders to take action tomanage the parallel infodemic (ie, overabundance of information that includes incorrect information to undermine the public health response). The first Surgeon General’s Advisory issued during the Biden Administrationwas released byDr.VivekMurthy in July, 2021 to caution the American public about the urgent threat of health misinformation. The Surgeon General warned that misinformation (ie, information that is false, inaccurate, or misleading based on the best evidence available) “can cause confusion, sow mistrust, and undermine public health efforts, including our ongoing work to end the COVID-19 pandemic.” Misinformation has also led to the use of unproven – and potentially dangerous – treatments for COVID-19, including ivermectin, an antiparasitic drug used to deworm animals. In addition to overdoses that required hospitalization in some cases, people’s use of this baseless treatment has caused a shortage of the drug for animals who need it. Research has uncovered links between hundreds of deaths and thousands of hospitalizations globally and misinformation about other untested COVID-19 treatments. Beyond the pandemic, misinformation also has very real and dire consequences in other areas, not the least of which is its potential to influence voting behavior and spur violence. Addressing the threat of misinformation will require coordinated and comprehensive efforts on the part of the media; health care In This Issue