During Ebola, we drank brine. During Covid-19, we protested 5G.
What is common about the trends above? Misinformation. For the past few months, the UN has been having an online campaign against misinformation. It is no secret that misinformation is a huge problem in Nigeria, I mean, just look at the scenarios above.
In 2014, during the Ebola outbreak, my mom received a call at some time around 10 p.m. Her pregnant cousin who lived in Enugu had began bleeding after she took two cups of concentrated brine solution to prevent her from contacting the Ebola Virus. Now, even if you have never been pregnant before, you would know that bleeding is never a good sign. She had to be rushed to a hospital that night because her baby (and herself) was in danger. As reported by Vanguard , a total of twenty individuals had to be hospitalized for excessive salt intake in Plateau state alone, with two dead, while the virus killed about seven people and hospitalized nineteen- I think you catch my drift. What caused this reaction? A viral social media trend spreading the message that 'salt water prevents Ebola virus'.
Now I wouldn't even go into the 5G controversy, but will boldly say this- "5G DOES NOT CAUSE COVID-19". Don't believe me? Click 'here' to read our post about it.
So what is that one-minute pause you might ask? It is the period in which you stop, take a breath and confirm if the news you are about to share is true or not. We live in a digital world where we no longer need town-criers to send our messages nor do we have to go all the way to the post office to send letters. As it is now very easy to get messages across, people forget to check- is this real or not?
Even better- should I share this or not?
If the answer to any of these questions is uncertain, then we have the responsibility of taking the extra step to find out the answer, sometimes a quick google search is all one needs to do. However in the case of news, it is important to go through respected news websites to confirm. While this does not mean that the information you would obtain would be correct all the time, at least you would have somewhere reliable to reference to.
That doesn't mean news networks get it right all the time. If you can recall the case of the Catholic High School student, Nicholas Sandmann, who sued notable news outlets like CNN and Washington Post for defamation over its coverage of an incident that took place after the 2019 March for life in Washington US (story linked below), it's clear that news networks can sometimes get it wrong or report with their own biases.
When we share news that is proven false, we have the moral responsibility to retract that post and let those who have viewed it know that it was false. By doing this, we reduce the spread of misinformation and prompt others to conduct their own research.
Let's be conscious of what we share/post. Just asking simple questions like: Is this appropriate or not? Would I possibly regret this later? goes a long way. Let's maintain a high level of social consciousness and media awareness! Be bold but informed!
Thank you for reading my post.
I hope you enjoyed the post. Remember to spread the word: CURB MISINFORMATION! CHECK WHAT YOU POST AND SHARE.
We need to stop the spread of false news or unconfirmed information. Aim yourself with facts and speak out when you see someone sharing false news!
Nick Sandmann- https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2020/01/08/cnn-settles-lawsuit-with-covington-catholic-teen.html
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So true! These days, people post a lot of untrue and fabricated things leading to more problems.
You did a great job! There are so many cases of misinformation and it's always sad to see the havoc they can cause. Definitely taking on the 2-minute pause.
Great read! Definitely embracing the idea of a 2-minute pause going forward. I like this topic a lot because misinformation is underestimated and should be addressed more. You did justice to that!