The advent of COVID-19 (known locally as the coronavirus) in Lebanon last February has further deepened existing divisions within certain cities and villages: communities were either branded “epicentres” of the COVID-19 outbreak, or residents were considered blessed to have genetic and/or layered immunity against the virus.
The COVID-19 virus and the Beirut Port explosion were two new tests of how people, as well as the media, responded to the spread of fabricated news. Unfortunately, both incidents revealed the vulnerability of some in rejecting misleading information, as well as the ability to create rumors exploited for political and/or personal purposes.
Contrary to the prevailing belief that only a specialized journalist can put an end to the spread of fabricated information, technological development has allowed everyone to access free open-use tools, through which one can confirm what is going on in the “Infodemic” world.
le développement technologique a permis à tout le monde d’avoir accès à des outils gratuits, d’utilisation facile, qui permettent de vérifier les informations, notamment au sujet de la pandémie qu’on appelle « infodemic ».
