The global crown disease epidemic is close to the end. If the World Health Organization announces an emergency state, this one will last for more than three years, which will temporarily come to an end.This epidemic has brought huge disasters to humans, and many individuals will have unforgettable memories for life.
Reflection after epidemic is very important. It can not only prevent and cope with the occurrence of X disease, but also to rebuild a more tough and more keen country and society.Many experts discuss how to improve the government's fast response capabilities, optimize the configuration of medical resources, and improve social capital in crisis, but few people discuss how to avoid and cope with publicity and fake information.Propaganda and false information will interfere with every decision between individuals and government.
"Propaganda" has ancient history and is not a modern product; the information carried by the propaganda may not be fake information, but to promote some agenda and achieve certain goals in the way of prejudice or misleading.For example, "the public management model in the United States is perfect", such information is not comprehensive and misleading; in some public management fields, the United States is indeed leading and worth learning in other countries; but not all of them.Compared with publicity, fake information is slightly complicated, so many institutions now specifically clarify some information. First, use facts to refute false information and remind the public to be vigilant; second, the government can remind the government to pay attention to the spread of fake information and take corresponding countermeasures.The reason why fake information can spread is related to people's psychological state and ideology. For example, some people who are suspicious of the government will believe that the government has a conspiracy to implement vaccines; believes that drinking tea can improve health.It may be easier to believe that drinking tea can antiviral.
There are many examples of "propaganda" and "fake information" in the coronary vaccine. Taking the China that I am familiar with and researching as the starting point, on December 7, 2022, the Chinese government announced 10 epidemic prevention measures.The end of the zero policy.In the WeChat group, some people began to spread the news of "Xiyangyang": "Yang" (diagnosis) as soon as possible, so that you don't have to worry about infection."Pleasant Goat" is the protagonist of Chinese domestic anime happy sheep and gray wolves. People use the homophonic "Xiyangyang" to try to reduce the fear of the crown virus. Of course, it also means to "encourage" infection as soon as possible.The signal of "Xiyangyang" spread too quickly, and even Zhong Nanshan, an infectious disease expert, came out to clarify: If a large number of people infected in a short period of time, the normal social order would be disturbed, and it may cause new mutant strains.
The information like "Xiyangyang" is very complicated and difficult to deal with."Xiyangyang" contains the correct information: The toxic virus that has weakened coronary virus is mild or asymptomatic for young people without basic diseases.Therefore, early infections and late infections are actually not much different; after "Yang", normal life can be restored.However, a large number of medical literature internationally pointed out that even if young people "like Yangyang", the elderly who may not live in the same people can "like Yangyang"; even if the elderly "Xiyangyang" is the first timeThe probability of "yang" again after the month is not small; more complicated is that the "yang" is a challenge for the elderly.The large -scale spread of China's epidemic is one year or two years later than the first peak period of most countries. Therefore, in early December 2022, most people did not have the experience of crown disease.From international experience, many people are still likely to develop into severe illnesses after getting the second or even third crown disease, and they must enter the medical institution for emergency treatment.This is also one of the reasons why the WHO has not announced the end of great popularity.
Long -term harm government credibility
No matter who the leader is, "Xiyangyang" is essentially publicity.The information carried in these claims is not completely false, but it is to promote certain agenda in a misleading way.The agenda that can be guess is: First, to promote China's speed.Many people in China believe that the "curve overtaking" says that in fact, "curve overtaking" may ignore the development trajectory of down -to -earth and step by step, and the negative impact in reality has a great impact.Like a large -scale infection that lasted for a month or two in December 2022, it led to many chaos.In just a few weeks, a large number of people were seriously ill and the medical system was on collapse, and many people were looking for antiviral drugs in overseas markets.Although China can say that after two months of walking in other countries and two years, this kind of "hard landing" caused by individuals and society is huge, and it is difficult to repair it for two months or two years.
The second is to achieve the policy goal of restoring economic.China includes officials and folks to have some unrealistic views and imaginations on coronary virus and epidemic.Some people believe that, like many countries in the world, once a large number of population is infected, an immune mechanism is formed, so the entire economy can return to the previous state, and then economic development returns to the original track.
It is too early to evaluate whether the Chinese economy can return to the original track.However, the recovery process of most countries in the past two years is difficult, and rarely smooth sailing.The impact of the three -year epidemic is very far -reaching, which not only affects politics, economy and social levels, but also affects personal lifestyle and values. Therefore, cautious and optimism is the correct attitude.Unfortunately, China's propaganda is a single dimension.This dimension tries to build a simple linear relationship. For example, everyone infected the virus in the short term, and then the entire society returned to economic construction as the center.Unexpectedly, people will not only see the result of "hard landing", but also pay attention to the process of "hard landing".In the process of two months, because of the role of "Xiyangyang", when people find that their relatives and friends around them are infected with severe illnesses or even death, they will have some sense of resistance to the government, community and public information.Even if the official announced the number of deaths due to crown disease, the credibility is still damaged."Xiyangyang", like the Qing Zero policy, is a grand stunner, but the implementation has caused some people to be very injured.
During the three years of the Chinese government's implementation of the clearing policy, publicity and false news eventually affected the implementation of public management and public policies.For example, the false news about MRNA (messenger ribonic acid) vaccine has spread widely in mainland China and Hong Kong.Regarding the MRNA vaccine that can be seen in the English world can be found on the mainland and Hong Kong, such as the vaccine will change human genes (this part has been clarified by medical research institutions and academic magazines).Even in early December 2022, many people in mainland China still said that the MRNA vaccine affects men's fertility; some people even say that this is the result of scientific research.
It is worth mentioning that Hong Kong is the biggest victim of fake news in Greater China.The number of large -scale crown diseases in Hong Kong in early 2022.In a short period of time, the number of deaths caused by crown disease was close to 10,000; the medical system at that time was in a state of collapse.When some dead are too late to deal with, they are wrapped in plastic bags, which is close to patients with crown disease.Later studies found that in the number of crown diseases, 90 % were those who were not injected with vaccines.Ironically, the Hong Kong government's financial resources are enough to buy various vaccines around the world to use them for people in Hong Kong.
Before that, there were two types of crown vaccines in Hong Kong society.One category is of course pointed to the MRNA vaccine.The main view is that the MRNA vaccine will bring potential and long -term health risks, such as changing human genes, affecting fertility, and affecting children's development.This fake news spread widely among the elderly population.Paradoxically, there are not a few false news about the popular vaccine transmitted among Hong Kong people. The most common is the useless vaccine is completely useless, and scientific research believes that the active vaccine can also reduce the severe illness and mortality.The fake news of the two types of vaccines is widely circulated, so people start to conclude that if they want to resist this epidemic, the best way is that the vaccine does not fight, so a large number of deaths appear in the short term.
Hong Kong's medical resources are comparable to Singapore.Under the same medical conditions, the number of deaths in the epidemic is very different, which shows that fake news and improper public management may cause huge disasters.
As the saying goes, "people and people and people and people", in the management of the epidemic, "people" is the key.Some countries and regions have great advantages in the early days of the epidemic because of the time and local advantages, but after that, some key links, such as the low vaccine injection rate, have been abandoned before.one example.
A few countries in the world have become more united after the epidemic, richer social capital, and the interaction between the government and the public is more benign; in most countries, after the crown diseaseprocess.To rebuild the social contract and social order after the epidemic, there is a long way to go.
Propaganda and false news, whether it is the leading party (official, civilian or multinational agency), has brought great harm to society and the public.After receiving publicity or fake information, many innocent people make mistakes as an authoritative and comprehensive information, which may affect the fate of individuals and families.As a result, some governments are tied to their hands and feet, and they have even become the accomplices of publicity and false information, which eventually limits the introduction and implementation of the correct public policy.
The author is an associate professor at the School of Public Policy, the National University of Singapore
