Coronavirus misinformation makes neutrality a distant memory for tech companies

Facing the prospect that hoaxes or misinformation could worsen a global pandemic, tech platforms are taking control of the information ecosystem like never before.

BKC's Joan Donovan and Ethan Zuckerman weigh in. “In moments where there's a lot of uncertainty, we will gravitate towards any information that has a unique or novel take on the problem. People share it because they aren't seeing it in other places,” says Donovan. As a result, "what you're seeing is the platforms' being forced into a public health stand more than they've ever been before," says Zuckerman.

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