There is an increasing number of fake news about coronavirus outbreak that are circulating in particular online. It is a massive wave breathing on the ground of uncertainty, anxiety and the rapidly-changing news cycle, The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen alarmed in a video address to the European citizens and called for greater synergy in combating this negative trend:

A series of false claims reading that only seniors are affected by the new coronavirus, or that there is a lack of European solidarity to fight the virus, are constantly flooding the Internet and the social media. The Commission is working with the online platforms and encourages them to step up their action against disinformation on the coronavirus. The platforms are facilitating access to reliable information sources such as the health authorities in the EU members. These platforms take down harmful or misleading content. The European Commission also calls on the citizens to trust reputable media with a tracked record of accuracy and reliability.

The Commission has launched a special section on its website on the coronavirus response named Fighting Disinformation, where people can find information about such stories.

The European Commission advises people to follow the recommendations of all public health authorities and use information from the web sites of the European and world health authorities such as the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control and the World Health Organization.

The citizens can also contribute to the fight against disinformation by not sharing unverified information published by questionable sources. In a period of global coronavirus pandemic the lives of many people depend on the accurate and timely information.

Unity has been one of the most common words recently. Municipalities, regions and states have the obligation to provide the necessary medical treatment and take care of the most vulnerable people of the society. Research community, academia, the EU and other national and international institutions also have their specific functions and duties, but the effectiveness of the global response against the spread of the new coronavirus, an in particular against disinformation requires mutual confidence and trust. Together, we can stop this.

Edited by: Kostadin Atanasov