Influencers among ‘key distributors’ of coronavirus misinformation
Study suggests mainstream news outlets struggling to compete with celebrities’ and politicians’ reach
- Coronavirus – latest updates
- See all our coronavirus coverage
Celebrities and politicians with large social media followings are proving to be key distributors of disinformation relating to coronavirus, according to a study that suggests the factcheckers and mainstream news outlets are struggling to compete with the reach of influencers.
The actor Woody Harrelson and the singer MIA have faced criticism after sharing baseless claims about the supposed connection of 5G to the pandemic, while comments by the likes of the Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, playing down the scale of the crisis in the face of scientific evidence have attracted criticism in recent days.
Continue reading…