Fake news in the time of coronavirus: how big is the threat? | Hugo Mercier
by Hugo Mercier from on (#51EME)
People assume that we're vulnerable to false information. But even in times of crisis, common sense usually prevails
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In times of crisis, misinformation abounds. Covid-19 can be cured by ingesting fish-tank cleaning products. Coronavirus was developed in Chinese (or American, or French) labs. Cristiano Ronaldo and the pope tested positive.
Why does misinformation flourish? Does all this fake news mean that people are hopelessly gullible, their anxiety making them receptive to the most blatant baloney?
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