Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
YouTube To Block Videos With False Vaccine Info, Ban Prominent Purveyors
NPR: YouTube Issues Ban Against Videos That Spread Vaccine Misinformation
YouTube is cracking down on the spread of misinformation by banning misleading and inaccurate content about vaccines. The platform announced the change in a blog post Wednesday, explaining that its current community guidelines, which already prohibit the sharing of medical misinformation, have been extended to cover "currently administered" vaccines that have been proven safe by the World Health Organization and other health officials. The site had previously banned content containing false claims about COVID-19 vaccines under its COVID-19 misinformation policy. The change extends that policy to a far wider number of vaccines. (Pruitt-Young, 9/29)
The Wall Street Journal: YouTube To Remove Videos Containing Vaccine Misinformation
YouTube said it would remove content that falsely alleges approved vaccines are dangerous and cause severe health effects, expanding the video platform’s efforts to curb Covid-19 misinformation to other vaccines. Examples of content that would be taken down include false claims that approved vaccines cause autism, cancer or infertility or that they don’t reduce transmission or contraction of diseases, the Alphabet Inc. division said Wednesday. (Sebastian, 9/29)
The Washington Post: YouTube Is Banning Prominent Anti-Vaccine Activists And Blocking All Anti-Vaccine Content
YouTube is taking down several video channels associated with high-profile anti-vaccine activists including Joseph Mercola and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who experts say are partially responsible for helping seed the skepticism that’s contributed to slowing vaccination rates across the country. As part of a new set of policies aimed at cutting down on anti-vaccine content on the Google-owned site, YouTube will ban any videos that claim that commonly used vaccines approved by health authorities are ineffective or dangerous. The company previously blocked videos that made those claims about coronavirus vaccines, but not ones for other vaccines like those for measles or chickenpox. (De Vynck, 9/29)
Bloomberg: Google Adds Context To Search Results To Combat Misinformation
Google will start adding details and context about topics and sources to search-engine results, a move to help U.S. users become more literate about the origins of online material and to combat misinformation. The Alphabet Inc. company will add descriptions about listed websites in its own words, reviews of sites from other parties, and information about topics from third-party sources, Google said during its Search On event Wednesday. These details will be findable in the existing “About This Result” panel, accessed by clicking the three dots beside search results. (Grant, 9/29)
Also —
AP: NV Expert: Misinformation Bigger Challenge Than Virus Itself
Newly confirmed COVID-19 cases have trended downward in Nevada since a summer peak in mid-July as vaccination rates improve. But misinformation about the effectiveness of masks and vaccines being spread by a vocal minority poses serious challenges to turning the tide on the resurgent pandemic, Washoe County’s health district officer warned Wednesday. “I would say that the misinformation is perhaps a greater challenge that we face than the COVID-19 virus,” Kevin Dick told reporters in Reno. “We have the vaccine. We can beat the COVID-19 virus. I’m not sure we can beat misinformation.” (Sonner, 9/29)
NBC News: Teachers Grapple With Combating Misinformation In Age Of Pandemic
Teachers have been grappling with how to help students consume information during the pandemic as social media has allowed falsehoods to spread. (Silva, 9/29)
AP: Misinformation Leads To Animosity Toward Health Care Workers
A constant barrage of misinformation has Idaho health care workers facing increased animosity from some patients and community members, officials say. It’s gotten so bad in northern Idaho that some Kootenai Health employees are scared to go to the grocery store if they haven’t changed out of their scrubs, said hospital spokeswoman Caiti Bobbitt on Tuesday. Some doctors and nurses at the Coeur d’Alene hospital have been accused of killing patients by grieving family members who don’t believe COVID-19 is real, Bobbitt said. Others have been the subject of hurtful rumors spread by people angry about the pandemic. “Our health care workers are almost feeling like Vietnam veterans, scared to go into the community after a shift,” Bobbitt said. (Boone, 9/29)
