PIL's list of Covid-19
misinformation resources

As a supplement to the Project Information Literacy 2020 series, “Covid-19: The first 100 days of U.S. News Coverage,” we have created a select list of resources about Covid-19 misinformation to support learning about information and news literacy.

Resources for building activities: Includes interactive sites, fact-checking resources, and tips and tools for verifying information
Readings: Useful brief articles that work as assigned readings or in-class discussion starters
Podcasts: Brief and longer interviews with experts in the field
Videos: News clips and in-depth reporting on coronavirus misinformation
Resources related to photos, charts, and graphs: Tools and readings related to visuals often used in misinformation campaigns
Background resources: Long reads that feature in-depth reporting, criticism, essays, and government reports about the novel coronavirus outbreak

Resources for building learning activities

  • Anatoliy Gruzd and Philip Mai (2020), COVID-19 misinformation portal – A rapid response project from the Ryerson University Social Media Lab, https://covid19misinfo.org/. This site includes interactive resources, and engaging infographics:
    • The COVID Global Misinformation Dashboard allows users to click on a list of claims updated daily and fact-checked by a trusted network of agencies;
    • Botswatch looks at Twitter data to see who is spreading what information about Covid-19;
    • Twelve Common Types of COVID-19 Misinformation offers a useful framework for examining claims.
  • Jane Lytvynenko (2020), "Here's a running list of the latest hoaxes spreading about the coronavirus," Buzzfeed News, https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/janelytvynenko/coronavirus-fake-news-disinformation-rumors-hoaxes. This list focuses on the first 3 months of 2020, provides easy access to a range of misinfo cases with links to articles that debunk the misinformation and often outline the steps reporters took to verify claims.
  • Snopes (2020), The coronavirus collection: Fact-checking COVID-19, https://www.snopes.com/collections/new-coronavirus-collection/. Offers a categorized list of Covid-19- related claims with detailed fact-checking, and where warranted, debunking.
  • Factcheck.org (2020), “Issues: Coronavirus,” https://www.factcheck.org/issue/coronavirus/. Work from Factcheck.org on various claims, listed in reverse chronological order.
  • World Health Organization (2020), Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) advice for the public: Mythbusters, https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/myth-busters. A series of quick fact checks addressing common myths around Covid-19 in plain language, often with supplementary videos.
  • Mike Caulfield and Jane Lytvynekno (2020), “Ctrl-F: Find the facts,” CIVIX, https://ctrl-f.ca/home/. “The three-part learning module uses the COVID-19 pandemic as a case study to help teach students simple verification skills they can use to determine the reliability of sources and evaluate the accuracy of news and information.” While designed for high school students, this would also work well in a first-year course. The site is linked to a larger resource on News Literacy for teachers.
  • Poynter Institute (2020), Covid-19: Poynter resources, https://www.poynter.org/covid-19-poynter-resources/. A strong collection of fact-checking resources and frequently updated information that can easily be used as examples or case studies.
  • Craig Silverman (Ed.) (2020), The verification handbook, 2nd. Ed., https://datajournalism.com/read/handbook/verification-3. Comprehensive free online resource with chapters by experts in the field on verifying news content, case studies, and tools for various levels of users from beginner to advanced.
  • Natalia Antonova (March 27, 2020), “Investigating coronavirus fakes and disinfo? Here are some tools for you, “ Bellingcat, https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2020/03/27/investigating-coronavirus-fakes-and-disinfo-here-are-some-tools-for-you/. Relatable case studies and links to useful tutorials on verifying information.
  • Coronavirus: Responsible reporting and ethics (2020), First Draft News, https://firstdraftnews.org/long-form-article/coronavirus-responsible-reporting-and-ethics/. The tips for reporting responsibly are a great guide for checkling reporting on Covid-19. The site is updated regularly with new resources, including one related to “Plandemic” and others with international case studies.

Readings

Podcasts

Videos

Resources related to photos, charts and graphs

Background resources