Hi all,
I am generally interested in any project that helps counter misinformation on the internet, and I think that our existing projects have limitations in calling out fake news. Wikipedia, for example, has dedicated pages surrounding misinformation related to various topic areas (such as this article on
Misinformation related to COVID-19) where fact checking can be incorporated. However, such articles do not only contain fact-checked statements, but they deal with misinformation in a comprehensive way, covering the origin, extent and effect of misinformation, in addition to commonly circulated bits of mis(dis)information. Another possibility on Wikipedia is to create a list of commonly circulated misinformation on notable themes (such as this article on
List of unproven methods against COVID-19). Turns out that such lists contain several primary sources as citations, because there are too few available secondary sources which call out misinformation.
In the realm of misinformation, the existing primary/secondary sources only cover the tip of the iceberg, and there is so much more misinformation circulating in the internet than is being documented by fact checking websites and news media. Another limitation is that it is not possible to add a piece of misinformation that you found on social media to a Wikipedia page, because that amounts to original research. Searchability is also an issue on Wikipedia, and our search interface on Wikipedia is not exactly suitable for someone who wants to check if a piece of information is true or not. What is possible to do now on WIkipedia is to give 'good information' to the readers, and I see that it has limitations when it comes to calling out misinformation.
I am also thinking about using Wikidata for incorporating misinformation-related data. What if we can model data in a way on Wikidata to show that AUTISM (item) is NOT CAUSED BY (property) vaccination, giving reference to research from the WHO? That COVID-19 cannot be cured by garlic according to the CDC? In this way, we could build up Listeria lists, say, of 'unproven methods against COVID-19', making it easier for the readers to find misinformation. It will then be possible for search engines to 'learn' to weed out misinformation by 'reading' from Wikidata. The limitation in this case would be to incorporate statements where truth is somewhat ambiguous, or where we do not have sufficient evidence yet. Can yoga cure back pain? Can vitamin E prevent ageing? These questions do not have unambiguous answers. How can we deal with such situations? I think we'll need to have robust policies in place on Wikidata before we try and incorporate misinformation related data there.
In summary, I think that starting a new project for fact checking is justified, given that our existing projects have limitations in calling out misinformation.
Regards
Netha