The 2014 'Bird Box' challenge article I fact checked got 12k shares, but missed the real story

I was at a coffee shop in Portland last spring and this older guy starts telling me about a viral piece he shared about the 'Bird Box' challenge causing ER visits. He insisted it was a nationwide epidemic. I pulled up the actual CDC data and the nearest mention was a single hospital in Ohio with 3 possible cases over two years. He just stared at his phone and said 'so I helped spread a fake panic.' That moment stuck with me because he was smart, just never questioned the share button. How do you all decide when a viral claim is worth fact checking before you hit send?

0 comments

0 Comments

No comments yet

Be the first to share your thoughts on this discussion.