Professor Timothy Caulfield co-authors new expert panel report on misinformation

Professor Timothy Caulfield of the University of Alberta Faculty of Law has lent his expertise in misinformation to a panel that recently published its findings on the harmful effects of conspiracy theories and junk science.

Fault Lines, the report from the Expert Panel on the Socioeconomic Impacts of Science and Health Misinformation, was released on January 26. It was published by the Council of Canadian Academies.

The report delves into the wide-reaching harm caused by misinformation, from political polarization and lower compliance with public health advice, to deaths caused by vaccine-hesitancy and the increased burden on the healthcare system.

Caulfield was one of 13 panel members who contributed to the report. The multidisciplinary panel was tasked with examining the impacts of health and science misinformation on individuals, communities and Canadian society.

Relying on modeling from available data, the panel found that misinformation contributed to vaccine hesitancy for 2.35 million Canadians between March and November 2021. This hesitancy led to an excess number of hospitalizations, ICU patients and deaths.

The report also concluded that misinformation is often packaged in ways that make it appealing to share, drawing on people’s emotions and mimicking credible sources.

Disrupting the spread of fake news and pseudoscience is urgent, according to the report. Solutions range from making science more accessible to the public, debunking misinformation and promoting critical thinking and science literacy.