#combating misinformation

[magnetothemagnificent]

Okay I've seen some posts already about the current bird flu situation stating that the virus has an over 50% death rate. That information is wrong, and it's just unnecessary fear mongering that we really don't need right now.

According to the WHO, there's a case fatality rate (CFR) of 54%. A case fatality rate is simply the percentage of deaths out of the number of *confirmed* cases. Since January 1 2003 until November 2024 there were only 261 total cases recorded by the WHO in the entire world, and out of those cases, 142 were fatal. Notice the very small sample size and the fact that these are only confirmed cases. In most people, bird flu is indistinguishable from any other cold or flu or even asymptomatic, so they *wouldn't be tested*. There hasn't been a widespread testing initiative for bird flu yet, so we don't actually know the data of how many people *actually* have it. We only know the cases of people with infections that were severe and unique enough that doctors thought to test them specifically for bird flu. A case fatality rate is *not* a prognosis.

Bird flu *is* serious. And you definitely should be careful, especially if you make contact with wild or domestic outdoor birds (this means that if you have a chicken coop or dovecote or something similar, even if it's only a few outdoor birds, you need to be careful), but we really don't need to be fear-mongering and making people think that they have an over 50% chance of dying if they get it. Misinformation from all sides is bad.

Actual reports about the virus:

First Human Bird Flu Death in U.S. Reported—How Worried Should We Be?

Louisiana has reported the first U.S. fatality from avian influenza. Most of the country’s human cases have been mild

H5 Bird Flu: Current Situation

H5 bird flu is causing outbreaks in wild birds and poultry, other animals and sporadic human cases.

[dialectical-etherealist]

Getting Sick of Hearing About Imaginary Beheaded Babies

Biden's administration admitted he lied about seeing pictures/confirming the event in his national briefing: https://news.yahoo.com/biden-not-seen-pictures-beheaded-135936703.html The IDF admitted that the claim has not been verified, and that only one news site ever reported it: https://theintercept.com/2023/10/11/israel-hamas-disinformation/ That site was i24, which is a Tel Aviv-based paper with a history of exaggerated and heavily propagandized coverage. They have no reliable source or evidence, either. All info traces back to one single 'journalist,' Nicole Zedeck, who has given multiple contradictory accounts. Her first account, she claims to be sourcing her information from on-the-ground IDF troops in the Zion unit (who are also under fire for other false claims): https://www.albawaba.com/node/who-was-behind-false-claim-hamas-beheading-children-1537549 After the IDF refused to back up her claim (shockingly, and even though Netanyahu did use it in his speech) and the US administration admitted they had seen no photographs or video, her story then shifted this morning to her having been a first-hand witness to these atrocities (I guess she forgot to hit record?): https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/who-is-nicole-zedeck-journalist-at-centre-of-40-babies-beheaded-story-refuses-to-back-down/ar-AA1i6nbJ

[kingsonne-zedecks]

In My Opinion

The American education system really did the country a disservice with how they taught people to write "persuasively" and how to write in a "formal" and "academic" style. I'm sure many people remember being instructed to avoid using phrases such as "I think," "In my opinion," I believe," etc. I personally remember being specifically instructed to state my opinions as if they were fact when writing a persuasive essay or speech for standardized testing.

The thing is, opinions are not facts, and most people struggle to recognize that in multiple harmful ways. "A lie repeated" doesn't just apply to propaganda, it applies to personal beliefs as well. The more people state something as fact, the more they become personally convinced of its truth.

Opinions become statements become truths become foundational aspects of the self.

Its known that attacking someone's beliefs is more likely to entrench them further into those beliefs than to draw them out. An attack on a belief is an attack on the self, and must be defended against. When opinions are treated as truths everything becomes more extreme.

I feel like this is a pretty well understood problem, but it's not the one that inspired this post. This style of writing and thinking contributes dangerously to the spread of misinformation. People don't generally start their posts and comments with "It is my personal belief..." We've been taught that this is redundant; if you didn't believe it, you wouldn't be saying it.

But this isn't occurring in a vacuum. These aren't graded papers. People are reading your opinions, your feelings, presented as fact. Hyperbole and context get lost in the telephone game of retweets, reblogs, and reposts. We are at the most risk when these are things we agree with, things that fit with our world view. We hit like and share and accept the statements made by another as truth.

We lose an aspect of the process that wasn't drilled as heavily as "don't use first person." Every claim and statement made should be backed by a source. Hardly anyone does that, these aren't graded posts after all, and the statement is true isn't it? Isn't that enough?

I'd expect that for many this is an unconscious style of writing, it is habit engrained by years of schooling. While writing this I personally had to be conscious of my phrasing because these are just my thoughts. They are drawn from things I have read and been exposed to over years of life, they are drawn from my experiences. I have no sources, but these thoughts ring true to me.

I could have written this post the way I was taught. That these things are immutable facts, and it is the responsibility of someone else to refute them if they are not. But I don't think that is the way we should interact with others. It's okay to believe things, and to hold to those beliefs strongly. But it's important to be able to change your opinion and way of thinking when faced with contradictory facts, and that is easier when you remember that your beliefs are not by nature guaranteed to be flawless.

[lordandgodoftheobvious]

[macgyvermedical]

Novel Coronavirus Fact or Crap

Hey folks, I’m a Public Health grad student and want to know what information and misinformation is going around social media regarding novel coronavirus (2019-nCov)

Put something you’ve seen or heard about the pandemic in my ask and I will fact check it with reliable sources

[luvthejem]

Let's talk about the SCOTUS rulings today....

[canichangemyblogname]

Hello all!

You all know how important I think it is to combat misinformation, and there are some unsettling sentiments and arguments I've come across on this site (and others) regarding the Hamas attack on October 7th. I think it is one of my duties as a citizen of this world and as someone who supports a free Palestinian people to help combat misinformation.

There are opportunists online claiming the attack did not happen or denying confirmed details of the attacks, like the number of dead, the paragliders, and whether or not they actually took hostages and how many hostages there were and are. They're suggesting the whole thing was "sensationalized" and "exaggerated" by the Israeli state and "Western" news outlets. This is patently false. The attack was very real and very bloody and very deadly.

Gunmen in homes, captives abducted leave Israelis in shock

Bloodied bodies in the streets, gunmen raiding door-to-door and news of captives taken to Gaza left Israelis terrified and in shock after th

Hamas surprise attack out of Gaza stuns Israel and leaves hundreds dead in fighting, retaliation

Hamas militants have fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of fighters into Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip in an unprecedented surpr

Reuters took the time to properly verify video footage of the attacks across Southern Israel, where Hamas killed over 1,400 civilians and took some 200-250 people captive.

WARNING ⚠️ about the article and source below: it contains extremely graphic and disturbing videos and photos. Discretion is advised.

The deadly Hamas rampage across southern Israel

Under a barrage of rockets, hundreds of Hamas gunmen stormed into southern Israel, unleashing death, destruction and despair on towns and vi

Al Jazeera and Reuters both broke down the attack nearly hour-by-hour and included maps, showing the breadth and length of the attack.

What happened in Israel? A breakdown of how Hamas attack unfolded

Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood inside Israel, killing dozens and taking hostages in a shocking assault.

How the Hamas attack on Israel unfolded

A surprise attack by Hamas on Israel, which combined gunmen breaching security barriers with a barrage of rockets fired from Gaza, was launc

Oct. 7th was the bloodiest day for Israeli citizens in Israel's history. More Jews were killed on October 7th than any day since the Holocaust. Denial of this is nothing short of antisemitic.

[inspirationandthingsifind]

Stepping Up the Fight Against Climate Change - About Facebook

Announcing a Climate Science Information Center to connect people with science-based information and an ambitious net zero emissions target for our company’s value chain.