Don't be misled –
EUPATI against Fake News
EUPATI CH launches the campaign "Don't be misled – EUPATI against Fake News!"
Fake news can be particularly dangerous in healthcare, not only for individuals and patients, but also for professionals and society as a whole. As a patient organisation, EUPATI is committed to exposing misinformation and raising awareness for the importance of accurate information by promoting health literacy. We aim to empower people to protect themselves, inform others, and make conscious, educated decisions – because we can all contribute to a safer health landscape.
Don’t forget to support EUPATI Switzerland with a donation or membership. Thank you very much!
Don’t forget to support EUPATI Switzerland with a donation or membership. Thank you very much!
We would like to thank the following for their financial support of the campaign:
On this page, you’ll find everything related to the campaign: key facts and figures about fake news, fact-checking portals, a hands-on guide to spotting disinformation, and engaging interviews and podcasts featuring medical experts.
Don’t be misled! in healthcare, accurate information isn’t just important – it can save lives.
how to spot fake news
Many fake news circulate on social media. Often, it isn’t easy to distinguish them from real news. Here are some hacks to help you expose fake news more easily. 🕵️♀️
A sensationalist writing style, emotional language, and spectacular images can be indicators of fake news. The style pushes the content into the background. The striking presentation is meant to attract readers, often with the goal of spreading false information.
Are the mentioned numbers, facts, or studies plausible and up-to-date? If studies are cited, take a look at the original source to verify the statements. Also use fact-checking portals like Mimikama or Hoaxmap that expose misleading or outdated information which has already been identified as fake news.
Does an image, video, or audio file show something unusual or contradict known facts? Then a reverse search may help: screenshots can be searched for their origin via Google Image Search or TinEye. This way, fake, manipulated, or out-of-context media can be quickly identified.
We’ve compiled a downloadable checklist for you on how to detect fake news.
🔎 Take this BBC quiz and figure out how well you can detect fake news!
Expert podcast: “Fake news in everyday practice”
with Stephan Schobinger, MD
Fake news is spreading rapidly in the healthcare sector via social media and now also with AI. An increasing number of people are using AI-supported tools such as ChatGPT to assess their symptoms and obtain medical information before seeking medical consultation. In some cases, people may heed advice from influencers who often lack any medical expertise.
This can be challenging for both patients and doctors. Stephan Schobinger, MD, board member of EUPATI Switzerland, reports from his everyday practice.
what fact-checking portals can i use?
Especially in times of increasing information overload, it’s easy to lose track what are facts and what is fake news. Fact check portals can help to quickly and reliably verify statements and claims. Whether it’s a scoop about a new therapy, strange health tips, a call to action to buy products or simply another viral story: taking a minute to check trustworthy sources can prevent false information from spreading.
To check health-related news, we recommend these two fact-checking portals:
- Health Feedback is part of the network Science Feedback that verifies the reliability of health information in the media based on scientific evidence: https://science.feedback.org/health-feedback/
- FactCheck.org’s Health section is a nonpartisan platform that verifies health-related claims based on scientific evidence and expert analysis: https://www.factcheck.org/scicheck/
💡 Critically scrutinise what you read on social media and unfamiliar websites and take the time to check the news.
Be sure to check out the rest of our campaign content in German here.
Primary sources:
How to Spot Fake News:
Further sources
https://blog.google/intl/de-de/produkte/suchen-entdecken/google-funktionen-zum-fakten-ueberpruefen/
https://www.nccih.nih.gov/
https://theconversation.com/chatgpt-and-other-generative-ai-could-foster-science-denial-and-misunderstanding-heres-how-you-can-be-on-alert-204897
https://www.krebsinformationsdienst.de/aktuelles/detail/der-beste-schutz-vor-fake-news-in-der-krebsforschung-und-krebsmedizin
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1093763/full
https://theconversation.com/health-misinformation-is-rampant-on-social-media-heres-what-it-does-why-it-spreads-and-what-people-can-do-about-it-217059
https://plushcare.com/blog/tiktok-mental-health
https://www.clever-gesund-info.de/skills-tutorials/gesundheitsinformationen-im-internet
https://faktencheck.afp.com/