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Information Literacy

COVID-19 and Mis- / Dis- Information

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about many scary and uncertain times. Unfortunately, the Internet and social media platforms are full of faulty information (both misinformation and disinformation). Exercising your information literacy skills is crucial to being correctly informed about the latest ways to stay safe and help slow the spread of COVID-19. In general, websites ending in ".gov" are where you should go for the most up-to-date and accurate information. (Websites ending in .org and .int are also generally safe, but it's best to assess your online sources no matter what domain they end in!) See the list below for trustworthy sources on COVID-19 information. As we learn more with time, it's important that you check these sites regularly to be sure you have the most current information available. Utilizing our information literacy is essential to keep ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities safe.

 

  • The Center for Disease Control (CDC) is the United States' health protection agency. The CDC conducts critical science and provides health information that protects our nation against expensive and dangerous health threats, and responds when these arise. Their COVID-19 web page provides information on mask recommendations, travel precautions, transmission data, and more. The CDC has also compiled a blog post about staying up-to-date on COVID-19 information. 
  • The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. Visit WHO's web page on Coronavirus for news updates, various publications, and guidance on best practices. 
  • The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, the sciences, and culture. You may be familiar with the work UNESCO does to preserve and protect landmarks and monuments, but they have also done strong work recently in preventing the spread of incorrect information about COVID-19. Visit their "Combating the Disinfodemic" page for access to two of their policy briefs: "Deciphering COVID-19 Disinformation" and "Dissecting Responses to COVID-19 Disinformation"
  • The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is the Nation’s risk advisor, working with partners to defend against today’s threats and collaborating to build more secure and resilient infrastructure for the future. Click here to view a resource CISA compiled on steps you can take to combat COVID-19 disinformation. 

via GIPHY

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