The widespread circulation of fake health news on social networks is misleading and potentially dangerous, health officials have warned.
Misinformation published by conspiracy sites about serious health conditions is often shared more widely than evidence-based reports from reputable news organisations, according to analysis by The Independent. Of the 20 most-shared articles on Facebook in 2016 with the word “cancer” in the headline, more than half report claims discredited by doctors and health authorities or – in the case of the year’s top story – directly by the source cited in the article.
In September, a website called healtheternally.com, registered in Phoenix, Arizona, published an article with the headline “Dandelion weed can boost your immune system and cure cancer”. It was the most popular article on Facebook with the word ‘cancer’ in the headline last year, receiving more than 1.4 million shares, likes and comments, according to two separate web analysis tools.
This was around four times as many as the first relevant story from a traditional news website, the New York Times, to appear on the list.
“This potent root builds up blood and immune system – cures prostate, lung, and other cancers better than chemotherapy [sic],” claimed the site, citing research from Dr Carolyn Hamm at the Windsor Regional Cancer Centre in Ontario, Canada.
More than half of last year's 20 most-shared, liked and commented-on news stories with "cancer" in the headline, seen by a combined total of millions, contain claims Cancer Research UK calls “myths” and warns against on its website.
These include a report published by realfarmacy.com claiming body acidity is “the truth behind cancer”, which had 584,000 Facebook engagements, and one headlined “A Secret Has Been Uncovered: Cancer Is Not A Disease But Business!” on newsrescue.com, which had 713,000 Facebook engagements.
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