People Fixing the World - How to fight fake health news

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Could a video game where you pretend to spread Covid misinformation actually make you less susceptible to real-life fake news?

Fake news, conspiracy theories and misinformation about health can stop people getting vaccinated, which in turn could cause diseases to spread and ultimately result in people dying.

In Sierra Leone, an NGO is educating people about typhoid and malaria by creating audio dramas, and sharing them over WhatsApp.

Meanwhile, a team based at Cambridge University in the UK wants to ‘inoculate’ people, to prevent them from believing fake stories if and when they see them in the future.

Presenter: Jo Mathys
Reporter/Producer: Mark Sedgwick
Image: The Go Viral game

Published on Tuesday, 25th January 2022.

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