Not all vaccine information online is reliable. Learn how to find trusted sources and spot misinformation.
Information disorder refers to information that is false, misleading or used to cause harm. It includes misinformation, disinformation and malinformation.
Definition:
False or inaccurate information shared without necessarily intending to mislead.
Example: Someone shares an outdated vaccine recommendation, believing it is still accurate
Definition: False or misleading information deliberately created or shared to deceive people.
Example: Someone knowingly spreads a fabricated story about vaccine harms to discourage vaccination.
Definition: Genuine information used out of context or shared to cause harm.
Example: Someone shares a person's private medical information without their consent to intimidate or shame them.
Who shared the information with you and where did they get it from? Even if the information is from friends or family, you still need to assess their source.
To check for fake social media accounts, look at how long profiles have been active, their number of followers and their most recent posts.
For websites, check the “About Us” and “Contact Us” pages to look for background information and legitimate contact details.
Other clues that a source may be unreliable or inaccurate include unprofessional visual design, poor spelling and grammar, or excessive use of all caps or exclamation points.
Headlines may be intentionally sensational or provocative to get a high number of readers. Make sure to read more than just the headline of an article –
go further and look at the entire story.
Search more widely than social media for information – look at print sources such as newspapers and magazines, and digital sources such as podcasts and online news sites. Diversifying your sources allows you to get a better picture of what is or is not trustworthy.
Search the author’s name online to see if they are real and/or credible. Check the URL, email address, or letterhead when you’re reading something from a new source.
Spam can look real, but often the URL or email address will give away that the source is untrustworthy.
When you come across information, ask yourself these questions:
- Is this a recent story?
- Is it up to date and relevant to current events?
- Has a headline, image or statistic been used out of context?
Credible stories back up claims with facts – for example, quotes from experts or links to statistics or studies.
Everyone has biases and these impact how people view what’s happening around them.
Think about your own biases and why you may have been drawn to a particular headline or story.
Reflect: What is your understanding of it? Why did you react to it in that way? Does it challenge your assumptions, or tell you what you want to hear? What did you learn about yourself from your reaction?
When in doubt, consult trusted fact-checking organizations, such as the
International Fact-Checking Network. In Canada,
Media Smarts allows people to fact check a topic or story through a custom search engine that searches several fact checkers at once.
Scientists and public health experts around the world review hundreds of studies on vaccines and immunization every year. Public health experts carefully review this growing body of evidence to understand what works, what is safe, and what information is most important for the public.
Public health recommendations are not based on a single study. Instead, experts consider all available evidence and update guidance as new information becomes available. This helps ensure recommendations are informed by the best and most current science.
You might be getting information from many different sources. Not all of this information will be trustworthy and unbiased and might include:
- Official communications from governments and health agencies
- News articles and opinion pieces
- Messages from vloggers, bloggers, and podcasters
- Social media influencers
- Videos and content shared through platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and other social media channels
- Messages and posts from friends and family
While some of these sources can provide accurate information, others may contain outdated, misleading, incomplete, or incorrect information.
Always verify important health information using trusted sources and evidence-based public health guidance.
Artificial intelligence (AI) tools and chatbots are becoming a common way for people to find answers to health questions. AI can quickly summarize information, explain complex topics, and point people toward useful resources. However, AI-generated content can sometimes be inaccurate, incomplete, outdated, or presented without important context.
Like any other source of information, AI-generated responses should be evaluated carefully. When making decisions about your health or the health of your family, it is important to verify information using trusted sources.
When using AI tools for health information:
- Ask where the information comes from and whether sources are provided
- Check whether the information matches guidance from trusted health organizations
- Be cautious about medical advice that seems certain, dramatic, or too good to be true
- Speak with a healthcare provider if you have questions about vaccines or other health decisions
Talking about vaccines can be challenging, especially when friends or family have questions or concerns. This
resource from UNICEF offers practical tips for having respectful and productive conversations that focus on listening, understanding concerns, and building trust about vaccines.
You may hear people say that changing recommendations mean scientists or public health agencies were wrong. In reality, scientific knowledge evolves as new evidence becomes available. As researchers learn more about a disease, treatment, or vaccine, recommendations may be updated to reflect the best available evidence.
Changes in guidance are a normal part of the scientific process and help ensure that health recommendations remain accurate, effective, and based on the latest evidence.
Be cautious if you come across content designed to create distrust or make you
suspicious of trusted sources:
- Language that is framed around phrase like "What doctors don't want you to know" or "The truth they're hiding."
- Claims of secret cure
- Requests to share urgently
- No cited sources
- Anonymous experts
- Extreme emotional language
- Conspiracy-based explanations
- How does this make me feel?
- Why am I sharing this?
- How do I know if it’s true?
- Where did it come from?
- Whose messaging am I supporting by sharing it?
Even if a claim is false or makes you angry, avoid sharing it simply to mock it or express outrage. Doing so can give it more exposure. If you want to debunk it, lead with the facts, explain what is misleading, and link to reliable sources rather than amplifying the original post unnecessarily.
