Anatomy of a conspiracy theory: how misinformation travels on Facebook
Facebook has played a key role in the global spread of misinformation during the pandemic. Here’s how an individual post can reach a global audience within days
Wed 10 Mar 2021 16.21 EST Last modified on Wed 10 Mar 2021 23.00 EST
Wed 10 Mar 2021 16.21 EST Last modified on Wed 10 Mar 2021 23.00 EST
In the early hours of New Year’s Eve, former Liberal MP Craig Kelly logged on to Facebook to make one of his regular contributions to the global network of misinformation about Covid-19 – this time, to promote the antiparasitic drug ivermectin as a treatment for the virus.
The content of the post was not particularly new or remarkable. For months, Kelly had faced increasing criticism from health experts for promoting the use of drugs such as ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine as coronavirus treatments, against scientific evidence.
