Silva advises public on how to cope with misinformation overload
John Silva, NLP’s director of education, advises the public to “act like a journalist” in the March 22 Associated Press article Virus outbreak means (mis)information overload: How to cope. Silva says anyone searching for accurate information about the virus needs to act a little like a journalist by verifying suspicious claims
Be wary of information from groups or news organizations you don’t know — in some cases the groups behind misinformation create websites and social media accounts that look like a legitimate news organization. Remember that there’s a difference between news stories and opinion pieces. News stories should include the source of the information. If there’s no source or attribution, be suspicious, Silva tells readers.