Here's where I attempt to place some context around the Covid-19 misinformation epidemic. It is not just about conspiracy theorists and Russian agents, but about what kind of information ecosystem we have made, and what we can do about that.
prospectmagazine.co.uk/science-and-te…
prospectmagazine.co.uk/science-and-te…
I've packed in as much as I could, but there is still much more to say. In short, the infodemic is acting as a lens that brings into focus sociopolitical issues that have been growing more dangerous for several years.
We have complicit media and politicians, some of who have been systematically undermining the basis on which we agree on what is real and true. This has always been a problem, of course - but the information ecosystem we have today makes it much worse.
I had a lot of great help here from @Londonstani @CT_Bergstrom, Neil Johnson, Walter Quattrociocchi, Scott Brennen, Manlio de Domenico, Emilio Ferrara, the misinfo team of the European Parliament.
Among some of the issues that were cut from this piece is an "it might not be as bad as all that" contrarian piece in The Spectator on 28 March, which I won't retweet. I don't know about you, but the "official figure" now of 44K in the UK sounds pretty bad to me.
The Telegraph too (surprise) indulged in that kind of science-denialism. Yes, you can find plenty of misinfo on 4Chan and Gab, but our "respectable media" give it wings, and without any accountability.
But one segment from my draft that had to end up on the cutting floor was this, from my conversation with @Londonstani - which for me was a crucial insight into how this picture fits together. 
