Misinformation vs. Health Education: The Modern Challenge for Health Writers

Who among us has gotten tired of living in “unprecedented times”? I could go for some regular old precedented times myself. Is that even an option anymore? What a crazy time to be in the business of health writing! In the last several years, telling the story of health through writing has become a challenge but also a desperate need.

We live in a time of great paradox: we have all the information we could possibly need at our fingertips and yet we seem more confused than ever. The reason for this can simply be that we are inundated with too much information, so much that our brains are in a constant state of overload. That overload also comes from the incessant flow of misinformation and the fact that we cannot just accept anything at face value. With most of the population gathering their news insights from social media, the misinformation age has truly taken over.

How many of us have had conversations with loved ones that made us think, “Wow, this person is really stupid! How could she feel this way with all the information that is available to her?” I had a conversation with a friend this week that revealed something we all have suspected. WE ARE ALL GETTING DIFFERENT INFORMATION! My friend and I were discussing a recent event/tragedy, and we discovered that because we both lean different directions politically, we received completely different stories in our social media feeds. Mine portrayed the individual in question as a very disrespectful, combative, and lousy person overall while her feed showed this same individual in the exact opposite light. Are we all being played against each other? What happens when these polarizing slants on news stories target our health?

How do we combat the misinformation era? We as writers must press on in telling stories. However, the stories to tell have a lot of boxes to check. We need stories that are:

1.      Engaging but not fear-mongering

2.      Accurate but still eye-catching

3.      Compelling but not inflammatory

Why are these factors so important? Well, folks, I hate to continue to pass blame on social media in this post, but it is my opinion that a large portion of the blame belongs there. First of all, as I mentioned before, social media appears to be the primary source of information for most of the population. With that in mind, the writer must ensure the information is up-to-date and accurate; fact-checking with reliable sources is paramount. Second, with the way social media affects the human brain, stories will be passed over if they do not quickly pique the reader’s interest. If the first few lines do not catch their eye, readers will quickly scroll on to something else. Thirdly, while the story must be eye-catching, the writer must walk the line of engaging the reader without eliciting an overreaction. We want readers to be well-informed without flooding their systems with stress hormones.

For health writers, these times are pivotal. The public needs information that is trustworthy in order to make sounds decisions regarding their health. Writers must ensure this kind of health information hits the top of feeds instead of remaining buried under the stacks of conspiracy-fueled viral misinformation.