//US election: How COVID-19 misinformation is being weaponized in politics

US election: How COVID-19 misinformation is being weaponized in politics

Social media platforms are being used to downplay the threat of the coronavirus and push back on health restrictions in the leadup to the 2020 U.S. election. But how has COVID-19 misinformation been weaponized by politicians vying for a place in the White House?

Misinformation is increasingly moving offline and spilling over into the streets in the form of protests or sometimes aggressive refusals to follow social distancing restrictions.

And in a global pandemic, inaccurate information not only misleads but could also be a matter of life and death if people start taking unproven drugs, ignoring public health advice or refusing a coronavirus vaccine when one becomes available.

In the latest misinformation in the U.S. election series, Emanuela Campanella explores how COVID-19 has become more than just a public health issue, but a political weapon, used in the form of disinformation.

For more info, please go to https://globalnews.ca/news/7430296/u-s-election-covid-19-misinformation-weaponized-politics-coronavirus/