Rumours, gossip and fake news — the terms with which we are familiar and considered as harmless in some cases, can actually affect not only an individual but also the entire community — both mentally and physically.
While the world is facing a critical time fighting a battle against spread of the deadly coronavirus, rumours and speculations, as usual, are making round on the social media disseminating false information. For most governments, in addition to using the entire state machinery to deal with this unprecedented situation, they also have to tackle these rumour mongers, who are playing havoc among people.
Tweets that coronavirus is airborne sent chill down the spine of the students as they had to lock down their windows and stay indoors for many days for fear of the virus.
Within hours after the outbreak of the lethal virus was reported, fake news merchants shared posts on social media advising people not even go near hospitals where people with suspected symptoms were kept for observation.
Some people even speculated online about the origin of the coronavirus. This was exacerbated by a slew of videos said to be showing Chinese people eating bats amid the deadly outbreak in Wuhan. The video clip reportedly gave rise to theory that coronavirus reached humans due to the eating habits of the Chinese people.
Investigations later revealed that the video was not shot in Wuhan, or in China for that matter. Another rumour which made a round was that once a person contracted coronavirus, death is imminent. Now weeks into the epidemic, the coronavirus has not proven to be as deadly as the Sars virus. Even that fatality rate is lower than the Sars fatality rate. The difference in these two fatality rates gives more context as to why the coronavirus has spread so quickly.
Medical experts say an effective flu-like virus can extend its reach by not killing its host too rapidly and/or making the host sick enough to pass it on before finally becoming bedridden.
Later it has been proved that fatality rate from the dreaded disease ranged between only 2 per cent and 3 per cent.
Journalists and fact-checkers from BBC Monitoring and UGC Newsgathering teams have compiled a number of misguiding posts on the social media platforms shared and viewed by millions. A baseless claim that has gone viral online suggested the virus was part of China’s “covert biological weapons programme” and may have leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
Many accounts pushing the theory cite two widely-shared Washington Times articles both of which quote a former Israeli military intelligence officer for the claim. However, no evidence has been provided for the claim in the two articles.
In the Philippines a post shared 16,000 times on Facebook advised users to “keep your throat moist”, avoid spicy food and “load up on vitamin C” in order to prevent the disease.
The information has been said to be from the country’s Department of Health but it does not match the advice on the website or its official press releases on the outbreak. The BBC journalists and fact-checkers have found these posts with identical or slightly altered wording — said to be from local health authorities — are also being circulated on Facebook and WhatsApp in Canada, India, Pakistan and some other South Asian countries.
No doubt, the seemingly harmless action of a tweet, a re-tweet or a post to spread gossip and rumours can negatively affect society as a whole with children and youth, often, the worst affected.
In Oman, posting or sharing or disseminating misleading information that can lead to public panic, thereby, disrupting normal daily activities, is treated as a criminal offence.
According to the Royal Oman Police, due care needs to be taken when posting or sharing information on social media because rumour-mongering is a criminal offence in the country.
Yet it is just that the offenders will be prosecuted, but the negative consequences on the society. For the love of our country and its people, who are our brothers and sisters, it is good we keep the online talk and dissemination of information with verified facts that serve to affect positive change in our community.
Please remember the old saying, “a lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth has got its boots on”.
18samkutty@gmail.com
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
