Fake post about Olympia school closures offers lesson in misinformation
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As more cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by a new coronavirus, are confirmed in Washington state, unfounded rumors of cases of the illness and resulting closures abound. The latest locally: An altered photo shared on the multimedia messaging application Snapchat.
The fake photo of an Olympia School District school’s website included a message that OSD schools would be closed next week for sanitation, according to an announcement and email to families and staff from the district Wednesday evening.
“This is NOT true,” the district writes.
A similar rumor circulated yesterday in Tacoma, where a false Snapchat post claimed middle school students were rushed to the hospital after teachers noticed COVID-19 symptoms and that students and staff would be quarantined. Further north, Bellevue School District shared Wednesday that someone impersonated its superintendent and falsely posted that schools would close March 5-19.
Olympia School District learned of its false report from the parent of an OSD student early Wednesday evening, spokesperson Susan Gifford wrote in an email to The Olympian. It’s not yet known whether a student altered and shared the photo, but the district is investigating.
If a school were to close or have a schedule change, OSD would tell families and staff through its automated communication system that includes an email, text, and Robocall, according to the district. School schedule information also gets posted via a drop-down alert on the district website and its social media platforms.
Gifford also mentioned that OSD families are always welcome to contact the district if they receive communication that seems out of the ordinary.
“The important thing is, we have protocols in place, which we regularly share with our families, staff and community, for how we communicate directly from our district in event of emergencies and/or school closures,” Gifford wrote.
As of Thursday morning, there were no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Thurston County, according to Thurston County Public Health and Social Services.
Tips to navigate COVID-19 information and misinformation
The World Health Organization has called the novel coronavirus an “infodemic” with “an over-abundance of information — some accurate and some not — that makes it hard for people to find trustworthy sources and reliable guidance when they need it.”
If you hear of a closure or cancellation through social media or word-of-mouth, go directly to the source for verification. For instance, if you hear your child’s Olympia school is closing, search for “Olympia School District” online and look at its social media channels and website to verify whether that’s true.
When it comes to information on the illness and outbreak, it’s also best to go to the source.
A readers’ guide from the Poynter Institute recommends getting information directly from the institutions devoted to responding to the coronavirus, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization, National Institutes of Health, and Infectious Diseases Society of America.
To determine whether a story shared on social media is valid, Poynter’s recommendations include:
- Checking whether the headline matches the article — if there’s no content when you click, it’s clickbait.
- Looking at the date the article was published — if it’s old, it could be out-of-date and no longer accurate.
- Looking at who wrote it and what else they’ve written on the subject.
- Looking for red flags of sensationalism, such as exclamation points.
- Checking that the writer is citing credible sources.
- Following hyperlinks in the content — it should lead to relevant information from a good source, not an advertisement or unrelated content.
- Checking for information that puts data in context, such as numbers and percentages presented together.
If you hear rumor of a confirmed COVID-19 case locally, you can verify the most up-to-date local information on Thurston County Public Health’s Coronavirus web page.
The state Department of Health plans to update the statewide count of confirmed cases and fatalities on its website (doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/Coronavirus) each day at 11 a.m. Its website also offers a wealth of information on the illness, including fact sheets in multiple languages.
This story was originally published March 5, 2020 at 2:08 PM.
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