MEMPHIS, Tenn. — In Monday’s Ransom Note: when it comes to COVID-19, Mississippi gets criticized for having some of the highest case rates in the country and consistently finishes dead last in vaccinations.
But kudos to the Magnolia State for dealing head-on with one of the worst problems from this pandemic: all the misinformation. It's doing so on two fronts.
First, the public can no longer comment on Facebook about any of the state health department's Facebook posts regarding COVID. The department says it had no choice but to lock-up its comments section because it was becoming increasingly dominated by people spreading misinformation about the virus.
Second, the state's board of medical licensure is reminding doctors that to practice medicine they have an "ethical and professional responsibility" not to "share information that's not factual or scientifically grounded."
Mississippi is onto something. Last week, members of congress started demanding companies like Facebook, Google, Twitter, and YouTube start doing more. We're learning how spreading misinformation can be just as dangerous as the spread of a deadly virus.
