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As of the end of July, 2020, the novel coronavirus is in 188 countries, with around 700,000 deaths. This is, of course, a very serious pandemic, as it’s had a serious impact on the world for over half a year now.
Like with any world event, you probably want to keep up with it. But there are so many people out there creating websites, trying to be credited sources when they’re actually not.
So how do you get reliable COVID news? If you’re wondering this, then read on. We’ll give you some expert advice in this article.
Stick to Major News Outlets
There’s a reason why major news outlets are seen as credible sources while other random ones aren’t. This is because they’ve spent years building a reputation through careful research and fact-checking.
For example, if you read anything from news sites like the BBC, New York Times, or the Washington Post, you can pretty much guarantee what they report is factually correct.
Avoid reading news articles from sites you never heard of before, as they most likely don’t have the same fact-checking capabilities as some of these bigger news outlets.
Also Stick to Major Health Organizations
The same tip goes for health organization websites. You don’t want to be taking advice from some website that looks like it’s put together in 5 minutes by some random person.
Instead, you want to stick to reading sites like the WHO and CDC, as they’ll have done their due diligence just as the major news outlets will have as well. All their information will be backed by hard science, not quack science like some people are trying to tout.
Follow Your Country And/Or Municipality’s Government Websites
On that note, you should follow your country and/or municipality’s government websites. Not only will these have reliable COVID-19 news, but they’ll also have more targeted and relevant news.
For example, many local governments are instilling their own rules and regulations regarding the opening of businesses and the wearing of face masks. You’ll be more up-to-date and get more accurate information if you follow your city, county, and/or state’s website rather than just the CDC’s or WHO’s.
Don’t Take Social Media Posts at Face Value
Speaking of quack science that people are trying to tout, you’ve probably seen tons of social media posts being shared regarding COVID-19 and what you can do to prevent the spread. Some of these posts might even claim to have a cure for the coronavirus.
Of course, in these dark times, some people are driven to pin their hopes on things that may normally seem silly. For example, one such social media post was telling people to drink lemon juice every day and to perform some sort of breathing test every morning to see if they have the coronavirus or not.
In this case, the advice is relatively harmless. But as you may have guessed, there are many more posts that have more potentially harmful outcomes if people actually followed their directions.
Be aware that a significant amount of these posts being reshared are peddling snake oil. If it seems too good to be true, or too weird to be true, then it probably is.
Before you follow any sort of medical advice, always make sure to dig deeper to find out if what’s being said is real. While having internet access may be a double-edged sword, you can learn to weed out the “fake news” and get to reliable sources.
Go Straight to the Research
One of the best things you can do is go straight to the research. For instance, when you read an article, if they’re a reputable site, they should list their sources. Click on those links and they should take you to research sites like NIH and NIMH.
You can also perform Google searches yourself and find the COVID information you need. Again, stick to official government research sites like the ones listed above. You want to see complete studies that are done the right way with the proper research methods so their findings are certified valid.
You can also view innovative platforms that connect researchers from all over the world. For instance, COVID-19 research at OnRamp BioInformatics will show you raw data from experiments that’s been aggregated by biologists.
Use Snopes
If all else fails, you can always refer to Snopes. This site has been around for decades now and is known as the site for fact-checking.
On this site, you can find out if things are fact or fiction for anything from what happened behind the scenes in a movie to what COVID-19 news is real. Their pages carefully explain what the fact-checkers did and if the claims have any truth to them. There are 3 possible answers: true, mixture, or false.
You can count on this site to provide all the facts they’ve dug up, such as quotes, dates, and more. So if you’re ever in doubt, this may be a great place to land on.
Get Reliable COVID News With Our Tips
Now that you’ve read this article, you now know where the good places are to get COVID news.
As you may have already noticed, there are tons of disreputable sources trying to pass off bunk science as actual news. But with our tips, you should now have an easier time weeding out those sites and finding the good ones to get your COVID news from. That way, you’ll be able to keep up with what’s going on with the world a lot better!
Did you find this post about COVID-19 news helpful? Then get other useful tips by browsing the rest of our articles!
