Fake News Epidemic

Why Factual Reporting is More Important Than Ever

It is becoming more important than ever that news is accurate and reliable, especially regarding scientific news reporting, particularly now that we are living in a post-pandemic world.

Not only found in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has seen a lot of scientific news reporting but also now within the post-COVID world, journalists have a responsibility to report on scientific information and research accurately.

But occasionally, this was unfulfilled.
Throughout the pandemic, many false reports were made by Sky News regarding deaths caused by vaccinations.
News.com made various reports on potential “cures”.
The Daily Telegraphy accused organisations of publishing “fake” research studies.

In April 2023, both The Age and The ABC had done much reporting on the effects of “Long COVID”.
Organisations such as Diabetes Australia and The Stroke Foundation call for more funding to highlight the issue since so few scientific facts can be reported on correctly.
Much information on the effects of long COVID still remains a mystery. Much research evidence suggests there is a strong link between many health issues and COVID-19, but much is still unknown.

This also comes ten years on from when the ABC aired an episode of Catalyst, making false claims about heart medications. The weekly science program was found to breach its own editorial standards, with a lack of context in the scientific papers and evidence referenced.

Nearing mid-2023, with topics such as Climate Change, Long COVID Symptoms, and medication prescriptions now emerging in the media, the way some of these have been reported may have been changing.

Liam Mannix is the Senior National Science reporter for The Age and the main author of the weekly Science Newsletter Examine. 

He says it has become harder for people to determine legitimate information, especially after the COVID pandemic.

“There’s a lot of different information out there, and that impacts people’s health.”

Both social media and the wider content on the internet are also modern media technologies that have created a risk for misinformation.

But many Journalists believe that there are many positive uses.

Angus Dalton is the science reporter at the Sydney Morning Herald.

He stated that for some people, it’s now easier to find factual information.

“You can now have access to a lot of journals at your fingertips, a lot of international research in particular.”

He also went on to say both finding and telling factual stories were easier and more effective now from a journalist’s perspective.

Other modern technologies of media creation and consumption may also cause the potential for misinformation and ­­­­unofficial content not backed by evidence.

Many believe that Artificial Intelligence has also become a rapidly emerging issue due to its advanced ability to produce content and is already used in many industries. This is due to its ability to rapidly create written content and generate information, particularly news events.

Dalton also discussed the potential of AI and its ability to write and produce information as a Journalist.

Dalton said, “Embracing these online tools, particularly in the science world, is really great.”

Mannix has however stated that as an Australian journalist, AI has not impacted his job yet, and he believes that AI is prevalent “Maybe in America, but it hasn’t affected my sector”.

“I still believe it is yet to come a long way.”

Evidence-based reporting and access to information backed by evidence and becoming increasingly important not only in modern media consumption but also in journalism.