This statement was originally published on madacenter.org on 9 March 2020.
The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) has launched a campaign on social media last Thursday (5 March 2020), under the title “Rumors about Corona is not freedom of expression”.
The launch of this campaign came after extensive news published through social networking sites and some media outlets, false news and rumors about people living with the Coronavirus in Palestine, and the confusion and fears, repercussions and risks that this matter entails in the community in its various institutions and weakens its ability to deal effectively with the spread of the disease.
The campaign aims to combat false news and rumors that some have promoted without fact-checking which circulates widely by citizens, regarding the emergence of injuries or by exaggerating concerns about some aspects related to coping with the spread of the disease and the measures taken in that regard.
MADA affirms its adherence to the freedom of everyone to express their views on various issues, but also wishes to emphasize that the publication and spread of false news and rumors does not fall within freedom of expression. It hopes this phenomena exhibited by media institutions, media professionals and activists on social media and the general population will be curbed, in view of the harm and risks involved in it all and the weakening of the general capacity for optimal use to reduce the spread of the disease in Palestine.
We also call upon everyone to obtain information about the disease from the Ministry of Health and other relevant official bodies. There is also a detailed explanation of the disease and answers to publicly related questions in the Arabic language on the United Nations World Health Organization website.
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Source: MEDIA FEED
