Study: Over a quarter of most viewed COVID-19 YouTube videos contain 'fake news'

Over a quarter of most-viewed YouTube videos related to COVID-19 contain “misleing information”, garnering over 62 million views worldwide, said a study. data published online by BMJ Global Health comes as a massive setback especially at a time when governments and or ncies are working to combat false and inaccurate information related to pandemic. 

researchers performed a YouTube search on March 21, 2020, using keywords ‘coronavirus’ and ‘COVID-19’ and analysed top 75 viewed videos. y excluded content which was duplicate, n-English, n-audio and n-visual, exceeding 1 hour in duration, live and unrelated to COVID-19.

y found that that 19 videos out of 69 included for analysis contained n-factual information totalling over 62 million views. researchers also concluded that videos from reputable sources remain under-represented during ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. y have also identified strategies that can be employed by government and public health ncies to increase viewership of ir factual content.

Fake news and misinformation have become a major hindrance in fight against coronavirus pandemic. study said that successful manment of pandemic depends on effective dissemination of factual information and YouTube has tremendous potential to both support and hinder public health efforts.

“As current COVID-19 pandemic worsens, public health ncies must better use YouTube to deliver timely and accurate information and to minimise spre of misinformation,” researcher implied.

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Tech giants assured combating misinformation

Earlier, US tech giants including Google, Facebook, and Twitter, h assured in a statement that y are working closely toger on vel coronavirus response efforts. In joint industry statement, tech giants said that y are jointly combating fraud and misinformation about coronavirus.

“We’re helping millions of people stay connected while also...elevating authoritative content on our platforms, and sharing critical updates in coordination with government healthcare ncies around world,” re statement.

Instagram Communications h said in a series of tweets that y were removing kwn harmful misinformation related to COVID-19. It said that if someone taps on a hashtag related to COVID-19, it will show resources from World Health Organisation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and local health authorities.

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