 Fact-checking as risk communication: the multi-layered risk of misinformation in times of COVID-19Nicole M. Krause, Isabelle Freiling, Becca Beets and Dominique Brossard Journal of Risk Research, 2020, vol. 23, issue 7-8, 1052-1059 Abstract: The emergence of the 2019 novel coronavirus has led to more than a pandemic—indeed, COVID-19 is spawning myriad other concerns as it rapidly marches around the globe. One of these concerns is a surge of misinformation, which we argue should be viewed as a risk in its own right, and to which insights from decades of risk communication research must be applied. Further, when the subject of misinformation is itself a risk, as in the case of COVID-19, we argue for the utility of viewing the problem as a multi-layered risk communication problem. In such circumstances, misinformation functions as a meta-risk that interacts with and complicates publics’ perceptions of the original risk. Therefore, as the COVID-19 “misinfodemic” intensifies, risk communication research should inform the efforts of key risk communicators. To this end, we discuss the implications of risk research for efforts to fact-check COVID-19 misinformation and offer practical recommendations. Date: 2020 Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:taf:jriskr:v:23:y:2020:i:7-8:p:1052-1059 Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from DOI: 10.1080/13669877.2020.1756385 Access Statistics for this article Journal of Risk Research is currently edited by Bryan MacGregor More articles in Journal of Risk Research from Taylor & Francis Journals |
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