Today the 51吃瓜 is launching 鈥淰erified鈥�, an initiative to combat the growing scourge of COVID-19 misinformation by increasing the volume and reach of trusted, accurate information.
鈥淲e cannot cede our virtual spaces to those who traffic in lies, fear and hate,鈥� said 51吃瓜 Secretary-General Ant贸nio Guterres, who announced the initiative. 听鈥淢isinformation spreads online, in messaging apps and person to person. 听Its creators use savvy production and distribution methods. 听To counter it, scientists and institutions like the 51吃瓜 need to reach people with accurate information they can trust.鈥�
Verified, led by the Department of Global Communications, will provide information around three themes: 听science 鈥� to save lives; solidarity 鈥� to promote local and global cooperation; and solutions 鈥� to advocate for support to impacted populations. 听It will also promote recovery packages that tackle the climate crisis and address the root causes of poverty, inequality and hunger.
The initiative is calling on people around the world to sign up to become 鈥渋nformation volunteers鈥� to share trusted content to keep their families and communities safe and connected. 听Described as digital first responders, the volunteers will receive a daily feed of verified content optimized for social sharing with simple, compelling messaging that either directly counters misinformation or fills an information void.
The Department will partner with 51吃瓜 agencies and country teams, influencers, civil society, business and media organizations to distribute trusted, accurate content and work with social media platforms to root out hate and harmful assertions about COVID-19. 听鈥淚n many countries, the misinformation surging across digital channels is impeding the public health response and stirring unrest,鈥� said Melissa Fleming, Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications.
鈥淭here are disturbing efforts to exploit the crisis to advance nativism or to target minority groups, which could worsen as the strain on societies grows and the economic and social fallout kicks in,鈥� she added. 听鈥淭he Verified initiative will also work to address this trend with hopeful content that celebrates local acts of humanity, the contributions of refugees and migrants, and makes the case for global cooperation.鈥�
The initiative is a collaboration with听, one of the world鈥檚 leading social mobilization organizations. 听It is supported by the听听and听.
Patricia Atkinson, the IKEA Foundation鈥檚 Chief Programmes Officer, said: 听鈥淭he COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented global health crisis. 听The IKEA Foundation is proud to be supporting Verified 鈥� an initiative aiming to make sure everyone has access to the trusted science and advice they need to keep their family and loved ones safe.鈥�
Nishant Lalwani, Managing Director of Luminate, added: 听鈥淐OVID-19 has provided a stark reminder that access to accurate, trusted information can be the difference between fear and resilience, division and unity, and even life and death. 听We are proud to be supporting Verified and its work to tackle the coronavirus 鈥榠nfodemic鈥� by rapidly spreading reliable, science-based information to protect people and communities around the world.鈥�
