A new initiative by the FDA is encouraging people to address and report “misinformation” related to health and medical topics online.
QUICK FACTS:
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently announced an initiative where they are inviting people to report “misinformation” regarding health topics online.
- The initiative, known as “Rumor Control,” asks users to report perceived misinformation on the internet, specifically on social media.
- “The growing spread of rumors, misinformation, and disinformation about science, medicine, and the FDA, is putting patients and consumers at risk. We’re here to provide the facts,” the health body announced.
- The agency also called on users to check their “rumor control page” to see how the FDA has been “fighting” misinformation.
- Critics of the initiative argued that the page raised concerns over the FDA getting involved in self-policing misinformation when the FDA itself has been directly accused of spreading misinformation.
THE FDA’S “RUMOR CONTROL” INITIATIVE ON NAVIGATING “MISINFORMATION” ONLINE:
“Confirm what you read with a reliable source… the FDA is concerned that health misinformation is negatively impacting the public’s health,” the website states.
BACKGROUND:
- During an appearance on CNN in May 2022, FDA chief Dr. Robert Califf claimed that the leading cause of death in the U.S. was online “misinformation.”
- Before mentioning heart disease and cancer, Califf said there was “no way to quantify” getting rid of false information on the web.
- The FDA chief did not explain how “online misinformation” was causing more deaths from heart disease, but made the claim anyway without being challenged by the host.
- Califf said that anti-virals and vaccinations meant “almost no one in this country should be dying from COVID,” before going on to explain that there was also a “reduction in life expectancy from common diseases like heart disease.”
- “But somehow … the reliable, truthful messages are not getting across,” he said, adding, “And it’s being washed down by a lot of misinformation, which is leading people to make bad choices that are unfortunate for their health.”
