Philippine E-Journals

Fake News, Panic Pandemic and Responsible Use of Communications Media

Dennis L. Alfaro

 

Abstract:

Fake news has been circulating since before the COVID-19 pandemic, especially through social media, emails and instant messaging apps. When the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 as a global pandemic, a lot of misinformation regarding the virus proliferated mostly online. How it started, why it started and who started it were concluded as facts, but none of it has been proven. Moreover, news about the cure proliferated that led to some people trying it out, but died in the end due to misinformation. This paper explores how fake news spread, why it is spreading and why it causes panic to people during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also looks into how crucial the role of media is in these trying times.