5G coronavirus conspiracy theories are the fake news zombies of the pandemic – iNews

As fact checkers, we spend a surprisingly large chunk of our time fighting zombies: falsehoods that keep coming back, no matter how many times you think youve killed them.

The 5G-coronavirus conspiracies are a prime example of a zombie claim. Despite Full Fact publishing fact check after fact check, new research confirms that conspiracy theories linking 5G to the coronavirus simply refuse to die.

Outlandish claims of 5Gs supposed health hazards predate the new coronavirus. In recent years, Full Fact has debunked alleged links to all sorts of maladies from tragic child cancers in the United States to the bizarre mass deaths of birds in the Netherlands.

But the current pandemic has given this conspiracy theory new life, piggybacking on apparent endorsements from some celebrities to take hold in the imaginations of a significant section of the British public.

The latest research into our consumption of coronavirus news, published by Ofcom found almost a third of people say they still regularly encounter theories linking the origins or causes of Covid-19 to 5G technology

This is lower than the peak of 5G-coronavirus misinformation around mid-April when half of all respondents said they had come across these conspiracy theories.

It is nonetheless dispiriting that these theories are still being widely shared online despite being emphatically discredited in the media, as well as by public health bodies and independent fact checkers such as Full Fact.

Thankfully, a majority of those who came across 5G conspiracy theories said they had seen them presented as false for example, in a fact check or a critical media report.

But 30 per cent of this group nevertheless said they were still seeing these theories presented as fact. That is clearly far too high.

Two-thirds of this group reported seeing these false claims on social media, and 16 per cent in the traditional media, which raises important questions for internet companies about what else they can do to counter misinformation on their platforms.

The big picture may be even bleaker. In each of the first ten weeks of its study, Ofcom has found that between 30 per cent and 50 per cent of all respondents have seen some sort of 5G-coronavirus conspiracy theory in a given week.

And more broadly, an alarmingly high proportion of people are consistently reporting that they have encountered some sort of misinformation on coronavirus in the past week, holding steady between 43 per cent and 50 per cent.

Bad information like this ruins lives.

The wave of vandalism and destruction of phone masts across the country has been well-documented, as has the spike in harassment of telecoms workers by members of the public.

But beyond the direct consequences, conspiracy theories may be contributing to a wider sense of confusion and suspicion of authority, which can easily mutate into fear and panic.

Ofcom has also said that roughly four in 10 respondents found it hard to know what is true and what is false about coronavirus.

And in the last month or so, the proportion of respondents who felt the mainstream media is exaggerating the seriousness of coronavirus has risen from a fifth to nearly a quarter.

We will continue to fight all baseless conspiracy theories where we find them, and are heartened to see more people referring to fact checking sites, as reported by Ofcom.

But Ofcoms findings also reinforce the fact that we all have a part to play in stopping the spread of bad information online.

People rely on good information when making life-changing decisions on our health, our finances and even who to vote for.

When we come across information online, especially regarding the coronavirus, its natural to want to share it with our friends and family, if we think it will help to keep them safe.

But it is important to really consider the accuracy of this information which, if wrong, could be putting them in even greater danger.

At Full Fact, we will continue to call on internet companies and the Government to take positive steps to help stop the spread of bad information online.

But for now, its vitally important we all do our bit to stop the spread of bad information. Please think before sharing conspiracy theories, so we can kill these zombies for good.

Abbas Panjwani is a fact checker for Full Fact, the UKs independent fact checking charity

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5G coronavirus conspiracy theories are the fake news zombies of the pandemic - iNews