Summary: With a tip of the hat to Cntl-Alt-Delete and other aggregators, we’ve collected a short set of frequently updated authoritative sources of information about the virus, tools for identifying misinformation, and a place to find out about solutions.
Center for Disease Control—The CDC remains the best place to find reputable information about the virus, what you should be doing, and the U.S. Federal Government’s response to the pandemic.
World Health Organization—The WHO offers daily updates on the pandemic, guidance, and data on the spread. Their dashboard shows confirmed cases on a world map and might be especially helpful for contextualizing the scale of the pandemic. WHO is also maintaining a myth-busters section that tracks misinformation they find around the world.
Flatten the Curve—A hub for information and a call to action, Flatten the Curve, curated by Julie McMurray, is a fantastic mix of data and practical precautions. It also does an excellent job of explaining the collective action required to curb the spread of Coronavirus.
Twitter List of Experts—This list comes from Jeff Jarvis. Julie McMurray of Flatten the Curve also maintains a Twitter list.
Resources For Spotting and Debunking Disinformation Online
Politifact’s seven tips: Fact-checking site Politifact has pulled together seven useful tips that would, together, screen out a lot of the misinformation they see going around on the web.
Sifting Through the Pandemic—With support through NWP’s partnership, Mike Caufield has created a SIFT site specifically for Coronavirus.
FirstDraft Resources for Reporters—NWP Executive Director, Elyse Eidman-Aadahl, loves FirstDraft, the site that helps journalists cover breaking news well. FirstDraft has published a searchable archive of Coronavirus debunks and a primer of helpful articles about Coronavirus. For non-reporters, FirstDraft has a blog post of “5 quick ways we can all double-check coronavirus information online.”
Snopes—The venerable debunking site, Snopes, is maintaining a special COVID-19 collection.
Jane Lytvynenko—A reporter for Buzzfeed, Jane tracks disinformation about world events in real-time both on her Twitter account and in articles she files.
FactCheck.org—The venerable fact-checking service maintains a corona coverage section with ongoing checks of breaking news.
How to talk to someone about misinformation: It’s possible you will encounter people who believe and might be circulating misinformation. This article from The Conversation walks you through some approaches you might take with someone who doesn’t know that their information is actually mis-information.
Keeping Your Eyes on Solutions
Yes! Magazine—Publisher of “solutions journalism”, Yes! is putting a special focus on what is working and what is being learned from the different countries focused on mitigating the crisis. It’s a good place to go to be reminded that many things we do can make a difference.
EPA List of Cleaners—And in the special award category, this list of cleaners that meet EPA standards for coronavirus. Avoid the misinformation about products and concoctions that are marketed in spurious ways and go to this list. Pay attention the recommended times for an agent to sit on the surface in order to work. (You know someone is going to think that as a teacher you know about this.)