• Question: How much false science is being stored in the media about covid-19?

    Asked by anon-251528 to Sophie on 23 Apr 2020.
    • Photo: Sophie Arthur

      Sophie Arthur answered on 23 Apr 2020:

      Hi Gabby. Great question. I don’t have any number about how much false science is out there but there will be stories out there that are maybe not sharing the whole truth. The best thing to look out for in news articles is that there is a link to the ‘research study’. If that link is there then it is probably one of the most accurate

Comments

  • Photo: Martin

    Martin commented on :

    One of the biggest issues is that science and data is being ‘interpreted’ incorrectly or badly ! this means that some good science is being explained or used inappropriately.
    This happens most on social media sites but also on some main stream media outlets.
    The best advice I can give is to say …don’t believe everything you read ….but instead try and verify any scientific claim with an independent source….preferably a well know and respected science based source (eg peer reviewed scientific journal …university researcher).

    However the best protection against ‘bad/false science’ is education …so keep learning 🙂

  • modmia commented on :

    IMPORTANT: This question and its answers are about coronavirus (COVID-19). The information on this page might be out of date or wrong.

    For up-to-date health information and advice, please go to the NHS website: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

  • Photo: Sarah

    Sarah commented on :

    One problem we have at the moment is that scientists are trying to share any new information they learn as fast as possible, so in some cases they upload their findings onto internet servers such as BioRxiv which don’t get other scientists to check the work first (this checking is called peer review). Some media sources treat these internet servers exactly the same as peer-reviewed journals such as Science and Nature, when in reality the work may be of a lower standard. In these cases, nobody is deliberately spreading wrong information – the scientists are in a rush, maybe they made a few mistakes or didn’t have the opportunity to double check something. Then everybody else, including the government, has to make a snap decision and sometimes those decisions aren’t based on really good information.

  • Photo: Sophie

    Sophie commented on :

    The best place to look for accurate scientific advise and information is a highly reputable journal, such as Nature (https://www.nature.com/). The NHS website and government websites (https://www.gov.uk/) are also updated regularly to ensure everyone is getting the most accurate information. If you’re interested in reading about the virus and how it may be interacting with our cells to get into the body, then I recommend this recently published paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-020-0868-6.