Last updated: May 25, 2020. For the most up-to-date information, see our Government Resources page
Learn how to distinguish credible health information about COVID-19 from fake news that can cause harm to you and your community.
This is a simple guide for you to use in your everyday life while you move through the pandemic. As you navigate the abundance of news and information about COVID-19, we hope to help you better distinguish inaccurate content from credible information.
Through this guide, you can learn to:
Evaluate whether information is legitimate or inaccurate.
Stop yourself from spreading false information.
Find credible sources and updates about COVID-19.
Definitions
The definitions in this section come from the 2018 UNESCO report "Journalism, ‘Fake News’ & Disinformation".
Misinformation: misleading information created or disseminated without manipulative or malicious intent.
For example, misinformation can arrive in the form of a text message passed around as a list COVID-19 remedies and cures, but which originated as a list of general health tips. Note that at this time, there are currently no cures available for COVID-19. Learn more about COVID-19 health here.
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Disinformation: deliberate, often orchestrated attempts to confuse or manipulate people through delivering dishonest information to them.
Disinformation exploits the language and convention of news genres to trick people into believing it is a credible source of accurate information. Disinformation is well resourced and well organized because it is driven by people and organizations that are trying to profit in some way (politically, monetarily, socially) by preying on people who believe their fake news is real.
Disinformation makes use of automated technology and the social media landscape that many of us participate in to help it spread quickly on the internet. It gains momentum and is shared widely when uninformed people believe they are sharing credible information when it is, in fact, fake.
Why does it matter for us to learn how to wisely navigate our information landscape?
Disinformation harms people and communities.
Why it matters
- The global health crisis has created a heightened sense of fear and uncertainty.
- An abundance of information about COVID-19 means there is also an abundance of disinformation about health practices, mitigation measures, and reports of how COVID-19 is spread.
- COVID-19-related disinformation appears in many forms, including so-called cures, health tips, and political news. It has the effect of scaring readers.
How it spreads
- Readers who are uncertain of what is real or fake may not be up to date with credible information about COVID-19.
- Readers might feel like they should share these messages with friends or relatives “just in case.”
- This encourages these messages to go viral through social media, causing inaccurate information to spread and create mass panic.
How it impacts our families and communities
- In Canada, the spread of disinformation is especially important for communities that do not use English or French as their primary language. For these communities, it is difficult to access credible information due to language barriers as well as a lack of resources in their primary language.
- Most up-to-date news is in English, and translated materials often come at a later date. Non-English language communities receive information at a slower pace. The combined difficulty in accessing credible information and the delay in receiving credible information makes non-English speaking communities more vulnerable to reading disinformation.
- An entire genre of COVID-19-related disinformation spreads inaccurate information about China, the origins of the virus, and Asian people in general. As the pandemic continues, there has been an observed rise in anti-Asian sentiments, xenophobia, and racism associated with COVID-19 since January. In addition, following false or inaccurate health advice can harm individuals.
How to know the difference between credible content and fake news
1. Check your sources
Key ideas:
Much of the COVID-19 information circulating online, whether it’s stuff that we see or material that is shared between friends and family members, is unproven by research and accurate sources. Examine the sources of the content and whether it can be verified by multiple credible sources.
Stop and ask yourself:
- Can you check an official government or health authority site? Do they also discuss the messages in the content you’re seeing?
- For images:
- Can you trace the image to its origin and tell if it was taken out of context?
- TinEye is one resource that can trace an image's original source.
- Does the image look fake, or like it was edited?
- For websites:
- Do they look and sound trustworthy?
- Look at their domain/site name. Do you recognize the site name? Note that even websites with .org or .net or .ca endings can be sources of non-credible information.
- Is the website full of advertisements? Note that a site full of ads could indicate that it is purely trying to gain clicks or site traffic and gain money from advertisers.
- For videos:
- Can you guarantee that the video content is relaying factual information about COVID-19, or is it using news footage and images from a variety of unverified sources to create a false narrative that provokes anxiety about the pandemic is actually about COVID-19?
- Can you find the source of the video?
- Is an author credited for the content?
- A credited author might* indicate that someone is willing to take accountability for the content being spread. If you can see the author, make sure you check whether the author has other work, and if the author is associated with any unverified sources.
- What does the other work by the author look like, and what can you learn from it?
- Note that just because some articles have no author, it may not necessarily mean it is disinformation. Is the organization that this message comes from credible?
Read more:
COVID-19 is affecting many communities worldwide, and people have a strong desire to know what is going on. Unfortunately, this also means that the information you see online or even hear from your friends and family might not be true. It is easy for rumors to spread across communities quickly, and false messages and news may cause overwhelming anxiety, paranoia or distrust of what is happening.
We recommend that you confirm anything you encounter against trusted sources, such as the Public Health Agency of Canada and the BC Centre for Disease Control. You can find examples of trusted governmental news about COVID-19 health here.
Some websites pretend to be a legitimate news agency, but are actually a source of fake news. We encourage you to look up the news agency and see if they are reputable online.
If the content is in image or video form, be mindful of the fact that sometimes images or videos featuring COVID-19-related content are inaccurate and intended to mislead viewers.
For example, a video was circulated on Instagram with a caption reading: “Meanwhile the Chinese are bringing 5G antennas down”, which fueled a false theory that 5G is somehow responsible for COVID-19. The accompanying video was actually taken in Hong Kong in August 2019, and showed protesters tearing down a “smart” lamp-post with cameras. This is one way people spread disinformation.
2. Differentiate facts from opinions
Key ideas:
In order to clearly distinguish fact from opinion, carefully examine what is being said, who is saying it, and if it is supported by credible research.
Stop and ask yourself:
- Is there credible evidence that supports the message in the content?
- Is the person or source who is sharing the content a credible public entity working in the public interest?
- What other things has this source created? A If it is from a page, do they just share other viral sensational content, or are they a source of credible, educational news?
Read more:
Facts are based on studies, academic reports, and strong testing. In order to fact-check something, lots of cross-referencing is required to confirm whether it is truthful. It takes time and effort to do this.
On the other hand, opinions are easy and quick to share. Opinions can either be backed by facts, or simply an unproven thought or sentiment that is shared publicly. These unproven opinions are harmful when they are framed as facts and shared as if they were true. Even though some opinions are baseless and unverified, they may feel more persuasive for audiences if the opinions reflect their concerns and fears.
It is harder to tell if something is a fact or opinion when content is taken out of context. A lot of online content consists of screenshots, short clips from a bigger video, or text that comes from a longer article.
3. Consider motivation and context
Key ideas:
When you come across a piece of content, think carefully about the context in which this information is being shared.
Stop and ask yourself:
- Does the content you encountered make logical sense?
- If there is health advice, would you or your healthcare practitioners agree that it is safe under normal circumstances?
- What are the risks of following this advice?
- What is this content trying to get you to do? Does it seem risky?
- What does the creator of this content gain when you read this content?
- Do you think the content creator may profit from sharing this information?
- Does it seem like they may be trying to harm, blame, or hurt other people?
Read more:
In uncertain times, fear may limit careful thinking and drive hasty decisions to act “just in case”. When much is unknown about COVID-19, it can be difficult to discern whether the latest information we’re seeing about the virus can be trusted or not.
There are diverse cultural approaches to taking care of our health, the variety of which adds to an already-confusing information and media landscape.
More information
Learn more
- To learn about the most common COVID-19 myths, and where to find the most up-to-date and credible information to fact-check in your language, click here.
- Read our Government Resources and Updates page for a list of credible resources.
- The Government of British Columbia’s Response to COVID-19 provides the most credible, up-to-date information on government news and support for finances, work, tenants and landlords, education, child care and more.
- Available in Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Vietnamese, and Tagalog.
- The City of Vancouver provides up-to-date information on city service closures, childcare, food, and support for local businesses, for residents of Vancouver.
- Available in Traditional Chinese.
- The BC Centre for Disease Control has credible information on the prevention, risks, and symptoms of COVID-19 for residents of British Columbia.
- The Public Health Agency of Canada has the credible information on the government’s response to COVID-19, statistics, financial resources, and travel safety.
- The Government of Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan has credible, up-to-date information on financial support for individuals, businesses, and sectors.