In understanding and responding to the problem of misinformation during global health emergencies, health experts and organizations such as the WHO have relied on the concept of the “infodemic,” or the idea that there is such an overabundance of information that ascertaining trustworthy sources and reliable guidance is difficult. Is this the best way to understand the problem of misinformation, however? A large and multidisciplinary literature has argued that such an approach misses the important role of individual psychological factors and societal “mega-trends” such as hyperpolarization, structural shifts in the media, and public mistrust in elites. This article argues that such contributions are important in understanding the multifaceted problem of misinformation but may miss another, equally important component: the politics of emergency. Specifically, the prominent role of speculation during moments of emergency—the need to respond to “what ifs” rather than just “what is”—provides a conducive context for misinformation, facilitating its production and spread while also problematizing efforts to correct it. The article illuminates this relationship through a discourse analysis of prominent misinformation claims during the US responses to Ebola in 2014 and COVID-19 in 2020.

中文翻译：

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信息流行病、无知还是想象力？突发卫生事件中的错误信息问题


在全球卫生紧急情况下，卫生专家和组织（如 WHO）在理解和应对错误信息问题时，依赖于“信息流行病”的概念，或者认为信息如此丰富，以至于很难确定可靠的来源和可靠的指导。然而，这是理解错误信息问题的最佳方式吗？大量多学科文献认为，这种方法忽视了个人心理因素和社会“大趋势”的重要作用，例如超极化、媒体的结构性转变和公众对精英的不信任。本文认为，这些贡献对于理解错误信息的多方面问题很重要，但可能会错过另一个同样重要的组成部分：紧急状态的政治。具体来说，在紧急情况下，猜测的突出作用——需要回应“如果”而不仅仅是“是什么”——为错误信息提供了有利的环境，促进了它的产生和传播，同时也使纠正它的努力成为问题。本文通过对美国应对 2014 年埃博拉和 2020 年 COVID-19 期间突出的错误信息主张的论述分析来阐明这种关系。