Welcome to the third issue of The Leading Question, a new initiative by Internews. Each month, we explore a question about the state of today’s media and connect you to the people who are shaping the answer.
This month’s Leading Question: What did COVID disinformation teach us about the next pandemic?
Today marks three years since the WHO declared COVID a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
The world has grown weary of hearing about the disease – and as most restrictions disappear everywhere, leaders in government and science have declared that “the pandemic is over.” However, the virus continues to devastate communities worldwide – as does the trail of misinformation that rises in its wake.
COVID has made it clear that there can be no successful healthcare responses without a robust plan to tackle misinformation. But what concrete lessons can we draw from this global health crisis to inform the media response to the next one?