Giving Compass' Take:

• Susan Krenn shares simple steps that organizations can take to overcome fake news and share real information in the communities they work in. 

• How can organizations build the trust they need to work effectively within communities? 

• Learn more about the spread of fake news online. 

Here in the US we know about the spread of misinformation, with bots sharing untruths, claims of “fake news” from the highest levels and unhealthy skepticism of scientific concepts such as climate change. The spread of misinformation around the world, however, has started to turn deadly.

False rumors about child kidnappers have gone viral on WhatsApp in India, prompting fearful mobs to kill 2 dozen innocent people since April, according to The New York Times. In Brazil, messages on WhatsApp falsely claimed a government-mandated yellow-fever vaccine was dangerous, leading people to avoid it. Violence toward Muslims in Sri Lanka earlier this year was directly a result of social media postings.

So what can we do?

We need to understand and use the lightning-fast spread of information, just as people spreading false information do. At the same time, we should take a breath and remember that what we are seeing is a new method for an old problem: Misinformation has always been a challenge, and we have theories to deal with it. What is new is the technology and its speed and reach.

What does our experience tell us? Refute bad information without repeating it. Enlist trusted community members (imams, pastors, mothers) to be ambassadors of truth. In-person interactions—and repeated interactions—will always be powerful.

Read the full article about overcoming fake news by Susan Krenn at Global Health NOW.