Fake News and Covid-19 in Italy: Results of a Quantitative Observational Study

Andrea Moscadelli, Giuseppe Albora, Massimiliano Alberto Biamonte, Duccio Giorgetti, Michele Innocenzio, Sonia Paoli, Chiara Lorini, Paolo Bonanni and Guglielmo Bonaccorsi
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Andrea Moscadelli: Department of Health Science, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy
Giuseppe Albora: Department of Health Science, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy
Massimiliano Alberto Biamonte: Department of Health Science, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy
Duccio Giorgetti: Department of Health Science, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy
Michele Innocenzio: Department of Health Science, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy
Sonia Paoli: Department of Health Science, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy
Chiara Lorini: Department of Health Science, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy
Paolo Bonanni: Department of Health Science, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy
Guglielmo Bonaccorsi: Department of Health Science, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 16, 1-13

Abstract: During the Covid-19 pandemic, risk communication has often been ineffective, and from this perspective “fake news” has found fertile ground, both as a cause and a consequence of it. The aim of this study is to measure how much “fake news” and corresponding verified news have circulated in Italy in the period between 31 December 2019 and 30 April 2020, and to estimate the quality of informal and formal communication. We used the BuzzSumo application to gather the most shared links on the Internet related to the pandemic in Italy, using keywords chosen according to the most frequent “fake news” during that period. For each research we noted the numbers of “fake news” articles and science-based news articles, as well as the number of engagements. We reviewed 2102 articles. Links that contained fake news were shared 2,352,585 times, accounting for 23.1% of the total shares of all the articles reviewed. Our study throws light on the “fake news” phenomenon in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. A quantitative assessment is fundamental in order to understand the impact of false information and to define political and technical interventions in health communication. Starting from this evaluation, health literacy should be improved by means of specific interventions in order to improve informal and formal communication.

Keywords: social media; health literacy; Covid-19; coronavirus; fake news; BuzzSumo (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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