The Basics Of How Health Misinformation Spreads
12:01 minutes
Health misinformation can circulate quickly on social media: false claims about vaccines, ads pushing suspicious-looking supplements, politicians making claims about contraception or abortion that don’t match the science.
As November nears, Science Friday is spotlighting the science that’s shaping the election with a short series about health misinformation.
Ira is joined by Irving Washington, senior vice president and executive director of the Health Misinformation and Trust Initiative at KFF, a nonprofit health policy research, polling, and news organization to provide a primer on the basics of health misinformation; how to identify it, emerging trends and the role of artificial intelligence.
We want to hear from you! Is there a piece of health information that you’ve seen recently that you’re skeptical about? Fill out the form below, email us a voice memo to scifri@sciencefriday.com, or leave us a voicemail at 1-646-767-6532.
In the coming weeks we’ll select a couple of topics from our listeners to investigate with the help of a subject matter expert.
Further Reading
- Check out KFF’s latest Health Misinformation Monitor.
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Segment Guests
Irving Washington
Irving Washington is Senior Vice President & Executive Director of the Health Misinformation and Trust Initiative at KFF in Washington, DC.
Segment Transcript
The transcript of this segment is being processed. It will be available within one week after the show airs.
Meet the Producers and Host
About Shoshannah Buxbaum
@Shoshannah_BuxShoshannah Buxbaum is a producer for Science Friday. She’s particularly drawn to stories about health, psychology, and the environment. She’s a proud New Jersey native and will happily share her opinions on why the state is deserving of a little more love.
About Ira Flatow
@iraflatowIra Flatow is the host and executive producer of Science Friday. His green thumb has revived many an office plant at death’s door.