Misinformation Review
Misinformation Review is a project of the Harvard Kennedy School's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy. The all-digital publication focuses specifically on research and data-driven analyses of modern misinformation, especially as it relates to current events.
An initial independent review conducted by an AllSides staff member noted that the publication approaches topics from a nonpartisan angle. AllSides separately rates Harvard Business School as having a Lean Left bias.
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We investigate the relationship between media consumption, misinformation, and important attitudes and behaviours during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We find that comparatively more misinformation circulates on Twitter, while news media tends to reinforce public health recommendations like social distancing. We find that exposure to social media is associated with misperceptions regarding basic facts about COVID-19 while the inverse is true for news media. These misperceptions are in turn associated with lower compliance with social distancing measures. We thus draw a clear link from misinformation circulating on social media, notably Twitter, to behaviours and attitudes that potentially magnify the scale and lethality of COVID-19.