Health misinformationSurgeon General Urges ‘Whole-of-Society’ Effort to Fight Health Misinformation

By Molly Galvin

Published 16 July 2021

“Misinformation is worse than an epidemic: It spreads at the speed of light throughout the globe, and can prove deadly when it reinforces misplaced personal bias against all trustworthy evidence,” said National Academy of Sciences President Marcia McNutt. “Research is helping us combat this ‘misinfodemic’ through understanding its origins and the aspects of human nature that make it so transmittable.”

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy today issued a public advisory on health misinformation, calling it a “serious threat to public health” and encouraging all Americans to help slow its spread during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. To that end, the National Academies have been addressing misinformation in health and science on multiple fronts and are taking steps to help cultivate a fact- and evidence-based information environment.

“This pandemic has demonstrated as never before how critical it is not only to combat false and misleading claims but also to get clear, understandable, and potentially lifesaving health guidance to the public,” said National Academy of Medicine President Victor J. Dzau. “The National Academies are eager to support the surgeon general in this effort and are committed to working with the research community, health care providers, government agencies, and others to help amplify credible, authoritative health information.”

“Misinformation is worse than an epidemic: It spreads at the speed of light throughout the globe, and can prove deadly when it reinforces misplaced personal bias against all trustworthy evidence,” added National Academy of Sciences President Marcia McNutt. “Research is helping us combat this ‘misinfodemic’ through understanding its origins and the aspects of human nature that make it so transmittable.”

The surgeon general’s advisory defines misinformation as “information that is false, inaccurate, or misleading according to the best available evidence at the time,” and notes that, although some knowingly and deliberately share misinformation, many others do so inadvertently because they are unaware of any inaccuracy or they are raising concerns or seeking answers. The rise of social media has also enabled misinformation to be spread more quickly and frequently.

Well before the pandemic, the National Academies’ online resource Based on Science has been providing up-to-date, evidence-based information about health and science questions that are frequent subjects of misinformation, such as vaccine safety, climate change, cancer, and weight loss. Since the early days of COVID-19, Based on Science has weighed in on more than 20 of the most frequently searched pandemic-related queries on the internet — providing the latest evidence-based information and dispelling popular misconceptions about how to prevent or treat COVID-19.

In February 2020, as the pandemic was just beginning to unfold, the National Academies hosted three events focused on countering misinformation — a MisinfoCon conference, a Wikipedia Edit-a-thon, and a meeting to explore ways to expand successful efforts. At these events, researchers, journalists, foundations, online platforms, government officials, and concerned citizens gathered to discuss how to combat misinformation and bolster credible information online — and in the case of the edit-a-thon, to actually do it. And this fall, the National Academies will host a public webinar to explore lessons that have been learned from the pandemic; the first day of the four-day event will focus on trust, engagement, and misinformation in public health.

In addition, the National Academies’ Standing Committee on Advancing Science Communication connects the latest research and practice to address societal challenges at the intersection of science and society. In April 2019, the standing committee convened a colloquium on misinformation about science in the public sphere, which culminated in a special issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. And last February, the standing committee hosted a webinar for journalists to explore how to accurately report on COVID-19 vaccines in a rapidly changing science and political environment. The group continues to prioritize connecting research and practice to combat misinformation with plans for a consensus study and additional events.

“Our society is dealing with an ever-more complex and rapidly changing information environment,” McNutt said. “The National Academies remain dedicated to identifying and disseminating the best available evidence about how to counter misinformation and promote science and health guidance that is both accurate and useful to decision-makers and the public.”

Molly Galvin is director of executive communications at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.