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The COVID-19 ‘infodemic’: what does the misinformation landscape look like and how can we respond? | Oxford Martin School

In mid-February, the World Health Organization announced that the new coronavirus pandemic was accompanied by an ‘infodemic’ of misinformation. Cristina Tardáguila, Associate Director of the International Fact-checking Network (IFCN), has called COVID–19 ‘the biggest challenge fact-checkers have ever faced.’

In the face of this, research from the Oxford Martin Programme on Misinformation, Science and Media showed a significant and rapid response from independent fact-checkers. According to their sample, the number of English-language fact-checks rose more than 900% from January to March. They believe that the total volume has grown even faster.

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