in the midst of the corona virus pandemic passing on information can feel like one way we can support our families and friends here at the BBC we are working very hard to make sure that everything we broadcast and publish is accurate and up-to-date but there is a whole load of information out there that isn't and misinformation can spread fast if a message is sent to a whatsapp group of 20 then each of them shares it with 20 other people and this happens five times it can reach more than three million people very quickly untruths can
take many forms one of the most common we're seeing is copied and pasted messages being passed around on whatsapp or in facebook groups containing bad advice or fake cures and because these are shared by a friend or trusted source it's not obvious who wrote these messages in the first place often they're attributed to a vague source like a friend's friend who's a doctor soldier or works with the government for example a voice note has been spreading on whatsapp in it a womanist translating advice from a colleague who has a friend working at a hospital on
the Spanish island of Gran Canaria some of the tips are helpful such as washing surfaces thoroughly but the voice memo includes misleading advice as well the speaker suggests sunlight neutralizes the virus and that coronavirus can be killed by taking a sip of warm water every 20 minutes there is no scientific basis for either of these claims if you're not sure the whole post is true it might do more harm than good to share it and if the source isn't easily identifiable or the story hasn't been reported elsewhere then it really is worth being skeptical about
it pictures taken out of context can also be really misleading a video from Italy was posted on Twitter showing military vehicles on the streets there were rumors they were responding to coronavirus riots in fact they were returning from routine exercises that had nothing to do with the outbreak some of us may share information with our friends as a joke or to lighten their mood but even if they don't take it seriously others might for example a claim that lions were released in Russia to patrol the streets was taken seriously by some it was not true
we all want to share news that we think will help others but before you do follow these steps has the story been reported anywhere else is it from a reliable source has the photo or image been taken out of context if you're not sure then maybe it's fake and you can stop that information from doing harm by not sharing it any further if you want to check medical advice go on the World Health Organization website and if you feel that a story isn't real you can always look to a reliable source like the BBC
