Infodemic of Fake News: Hope for Print

Abstract

The media reporting of the COVID-19 pandemic has risen the critical questions about the future of journalism. Getting a clear, accurate information of disease is often difficult, as most of us do not know that we are dealing with a fake news, forwarding a photoshopped image or watching a concocted video. Social media is overwhelmed by lots of self-proclaimed experts’ advises, precautions and treatments to protect oneself from the coronavirus. Amid these misleading claims circulating online, it is hard to know what is real and what is fake. The author explores the possibilities of looking through the social media from the perspectives and practices of print media and makes a strong pitching that the robust editorial behavior and standard ethical print culture could salvage the menace of misinformation in civic society. The dying print may still be a torchbearer to a fast-paced, interactive social media and help it gain credibility and acceptance form the masses.

There is a serious concern that digital connectivity is widespread and untapped posing an infodemic of inaccurate information about COVID-19. It could also a moment of redemption for social media to manage this misinformation and follow print media to check the proliferation of misinformation on their platforms.