PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Coronavirus: Vaccination (5 October 2020)

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he (a) has had and (b) plans to have with Cabinet colleagues on preparation to counteract misinformation being spread (i) online and (ii) in traditional media on the distribution of a covid-19 vaccine.

Asked by:
Sarah Owen (Labour)

Ministers have regular meetings and discussions with their ministerial colleagues on a range of issues, including the spread of misinformation surrounding Covid-19. Details of Ministerial meetings are published quarterly on the Gov.uk website.

The Government is committed to ensuring that information people access about Covid-19 is accurate. We continue to work closely with social media platforms to help them identify and take action against incorrect claims about the virus in line with their terms and conditions. This includes anti-vaccination narratives that could endanger people's health.

In May 2020, Ofcom published specific guidance on Covid-19 content and expects broadcasters to be alert to the potential for harm to audiences. The government is also committed to independent self-regulation of the press. The majority of traditional publishers are members of independent press regulators which issue codes of conduct on accuracy in news.

Answered by:
Dame Caroline Dinenage (Conservative)
9 October 2020