Panelists: 

• Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, editor-in-chief, The Journal of the American Medical Association and the Lee Goldman, M.D. Endowed Professor of Medicine, and Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco
• Garth Graham, director and global head of healthcare and public health at Google, cardiologist, researcher, and public health expert. 
• Irving Washington, senior fellow for health disinformation at the Kaiser Family Foundation (co-moderator)
• Lauren Weber, health and science accountability reporter, The Washington Post (moderator)

By Rachel Fairbank

In recent years, the impact of misinformation on public health has been readily apparent. However, misinformation is not a new phenomenon but rather one that has been highlighted by its spread during the pandemic —  exacerbated by the speed of social media.

Large tech platforms, journalists and citizens all have a role in combatting misinformation, though the strategies vary. 

Garth Graham emphasized the value of pre-bunking. “When it’s done correctly, and when information reaches people correctly, there are examples of when it goes right,” he said. He cited as an example the collapse of NFL player Damar Hamlin and the rumors that followed. Because experts spoke out, one result was a heightened awareness about the importance of CPR. 

Kristen Bibbins-Domingo noted that her role as the editor-in-chief of a major medical journal network included the decision about whether to publish studies on topics that attract misinformation. One recent example she cited was published studies on the use of ivermectin for treating COVID, where the science is settled but there are still major misinformation campaigns on the topic. She talked about the importance of confronting the ethics of whether it is appropriate to conduct studies on already settled topics.

Weber pointed out that in reporting, “health misinformation can kill,” so her job encompasses trying to identify who is profiting from this information, and who is actively spreading it. “Misinformation as a term is so politicized that it is incredibly hard to meet people where they are,” she said. 

Given the depth of the issue surrounding misinformation, and the potential tactics to combat it, Irving Washington cautioned that “everyone is hunkering down on their solution.” Instead, he said, efforts to fight it should be collaborative and employ a number of different approaches. “All of these pieces are connected,” he said.