2022-11-15 –, The in Between
Inform participants about online and offline rumor tracking methodologies and the negative effects that misinformation can have on individuals’ health-seeking behaviors. It will focus specifically on rumors linked to COVID-19 and other emerging health issues impacting vulnerable communities in Lebanon such as vulnerable Lebanese, refugees and migrant workers. By sharing experiences and concrete examples of COVID-19 rumor tracking in Lebanon – as well as the evolution of rumor trends since the beginning of the pandemic – we also hope to draw lessons learned to increase humanitarian, health and media actors’ preparedness in tackling misinformation during the next health crisis.
Moderated by Internews Lebanon Rooted in Trust (RiT) Rawan Ajami (Program Officer) / Marissa Nordentoft (Information Management Lead). It will host representatives from RiT partners at Maharat Foundation and Endless Medical Advantage (EMA), as well as colleagues from the International Medical Corps (IMC), UNICEF, and the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP).
Individuals will discuss their experiences with collecting COVID-19 rumors in Lebanon, the importance of fact-checking, and their recommendations for tackling the next potential “rumor outbreak”. Their experiences in monitoring COVID-19 rumors among vulnerable population groups across the country make them well-suited to provide valuable insight on ongoing misinformation trends and their long-term impact, particularly in Lebanon.
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Introductions
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Rumor tracking at Internews’ RiT Project – Omar Meksassi (Data Quality Lead at Rooted in Trust Global)
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Supporting journalists to tackle COVID-19 rumors – Layal Bahnam (Program Manager at Maharat) or Habib Akiki (Media Mentor)
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Empowering Syrian refugees to tackle COVID-19 rumors and adopt positive health-seeking behaviors – Asma Patel & Dr Feras Alghadban (Project Managers at EMA)
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How rumor tracking contributes to community health outreach among vulnerable groups – Elsie Abou Diwan (Community Health Specialist at IMC)
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How rumor tracking shapes national Risk Communication and Community Engagement approaches – Yara El Moussaoui (Emergency/Social Behavior Change Consultant at UNICEF Lebanon)
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Regional impact of COVID-19 rumors in MENA – Ghinwa Hayek (Epidemiologist and former public health non-resident fellow at TIMEP)
سيناقش المتحدثون تجاربهم في جمع الشائعات المتعلّقة بجائحة فيروس كورونا في لبنان، وأهمية التحقق من المعلومات، وتوصياتهم لمعالجة "انتشار الشائعات" المحتمل في المستقبل. إن خبرات المتحدثين في مراقبة الشائعات حول جائحة فيروس كورونا بين الفئات السكانية الضعيفة في كافة أنحاء البلاد تجعلهم مناسبين تمامًا لتقديم فكرة قيّمة حول اتجاهات المعلومات المضللة المستمرة وتأثيرها على المدى الطويل.
Rooted in Trust (RiT) is a USAID Bureau of Humanitarian Affairs (BHA)-funded project run by Internews to support humanitarian and public health agencies combat and manage the spread of rumors and misinformation about COVID-19.