One of the oldest fact-checking organizations finds itself inundated with bogus information about the coronavirus. Snopes has been forced to choose which claims to debunk as nonsense about the disease crowds the internet. It has experienced a 50 percent increase in traffic to its website in the last 30 days as it discredits claims such as the one that suggests vodka as a substitute for hand sanitizer. At the same time, people are using medications recommended as cures but have no therapeutic effect. (Business Insider, March 31, 2020, by Paige Leskin)
The bogus information is often spread by chain mail, messages passed long from person to person without vetting. Messages have spread on bulletin boards and the social media and through messages and e-mails. As Snopes and other fact-checking companies emerged fake news by chain faded but have now resurfaced during the pandemic. One of the most damaging messages is that drinking water every 10 minutes helps to ward off the virus. (Mother Jones, March 27, 2020, by Ali Breland)
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