Public health in a post truth world. In a world of digital media ,it's hard to tell what is real any more.
This article was publish in Environmental Health News July 2017.
The Oxford Dictionary has made "post-truth" its 2016 international word of the year. It defines it as an adjective relating to circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than emotional appeals. By its very nature public health already has predisposition towards the emotional as it has a very personal impact on all our lives. In an age of fake news, the need for accurate reporting analysis and comment is clear. In uncertain times, people need trusted public health information they can rely on to make informed choices.
Fake news is entirely made up and contrived to resemble credible journalism and to attract maximum attention. Manipulating public health truth for political or financial gain is certainly not a new phenomenon. Social media however enables fake news to reach more people, more widely and more quickly. Unfortunately it lacks the editorial and fact checking controls of conventional sources of news. Billions of people now get their primary information from the internet, social media platforms and smart phones. A quarter of the world is now on Facebook. The speed of modern day communication is reminiscent of Winston Churchill’s quote “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on “.
We live in a world of sensationalistic clickbait designed to drive revenue and where playing on people’s paranoia and getting attention is more important than getting it right. Despite often overwhelming contrary evidence fake news stories can still go viral as ideologically and commercially motivated groups take advantage of social media interaction and algorithms.
Fake news means it is harder for people to discriminate and understand complex public health issues. This creates a public health deficit - a lack of understanding and knowledge about how public heath works and how it affects them. Whether reporting on the food we eat, environmental pollution, climate change, vaccination or antibiotics fake news stories can have real life consequences. The debate on health relies on the quality of the news and information available. An attribute of public health fake news is that campaigners continue to repeat their points, even if these are found to be untrue by independent respected public health organisations and experts. For example although the case for anthropogenic global warming has been made there is still public uncertainty over climate change as a serious public health threat, despite the compelling evidence in the scientific literature. Fake news from special interest groups has fuelled the scepticism. Bad health advice from fake news sources such as on the MMR vaccine can have undesirable effects on the lack of take-up of vaccines and the destruction of herd immunity.
It’s evident it is the new media rather than the science that is influencing public opinion. Where too much weight has been given to unqualified disreputable sceptics who reject peer review and evidence based facts.
Fake news coupled with new means of media consumption can feed public health disinformation, deception, and deceit, distorting the truth using emotional persuasion. Where truth becomes plastic and blurs the line between fact and fiction . In a public health, post-truth world EHP’s have an important role in fact-checking and keeping the public informed.