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How our updated COVID-19 Misinformation Playbook can improve your reporting

New guide supports journalists covering public health by featuring curated resources and experts

By on April 24, 2023

We are pleased to announce that ONA has updated our COVID-19 Misinformation Playbook – a collection of tip sheets, source lists, explainers, examples and other materials spanning public health reporting and our digital environment.

This resource for journalists and newsrooms was originally published in 2021 as part of the Community Circles program. The latest version was curated by Online News Association contributor Meena Thiruvengadam and builds on the collaboration that led to the original guide.

The COVID-19 Misinformation Playbook is designed to help journalists and newsrooms quickly pinpoint COVID-19 facts and COVID-19 misinformation. It’s meant to help journalists think through thorny situations, locate the best experts and think critically about their journalism, particularly as it relates to health and misinformation.

With this 2023 update, our hope is that the guide will not only continue to serve as a resource for COVID-19 coverage, but as a blueprint for how to pull together similar resources for future public health emergencies. Understanding how the journalism community collaborated and what individuals and institutions had reliable information will give journalists a strong starting point.

In late 2020, a group of reporters and editors from around the globe convened to discuss misinformation and the COVID-19 pandemic. The journalists and editors were strategizing their way through unprecedented challenges to reporting — a climate of abundant misinformation, lack of expertise in sophisticated medical issues, and the imperative to do their work in order to be of service to their communities. Through working together and talking through some of the thorny issues these journalists were dealing with, the group was able to create the original version of this guide.

Explore the playbook

ONA thanks 3M for its support of the newest edition of the playbook.

Get involved

We invite members of our community to submit resources and experts to be added to the playbook. If you have suggestions, please fill out this form by May 31.

 


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Carrie Blazina

Carrie Blazina

As ONA’s communications manager, Carrie’s responsibilities include content strategy, event promotion, email and social media campaigns, press releases and overall editorial support.