Putting fake news to rest: Doctors turning into KOL’s on Trell during COVID-19

As all major countries across the globe continue strict lockdowns to flatten the COVID-19 curve, the spread of fake news is growing at an alarming rate.  Amid the existing confusion regarding the virus, exacerbated with stark misinformation, the fear and uncertainty in people are also rising. Such is the state of the fake news floating across the web, that Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, rightfully termed the situation as an ‘infodemic’.

Fortunately, content platforms the world over are striving to defeat this infodemic with science-based facts. One such platform is Trell – a leading a community-based platform that enables lifestyle discovery through user-generated original content in regional Indian languages. While the platform was initially invested in catering to the entertainment needs of vernacular consumers, it has been committed to informing and educating people ever since the country has been in the grip of the pandemic.

How is the platform doing this? Here’s a look at the innovative, multilingual approach of Trell:

Separating facts and fiction through Vlogs

As the perpetrators of fake news are present across social media platforms, Trell has paneled leading Indian doctors in a bid to raise educate the masses around the pandemic. These doctors are using Vlogs in a host of regional languages to reach out to the local-language speaking audience. In fact, Trell has taken a pledge with doctors to share verified and fact-checked information with 25 million Indian users to help them stay safe and informed.

Considering the expert knowledge and trust factor possessed by doctors, the idea of leveraging their expertise is a gamechanger in assuaging the panic and fear among the public. Not only are these Vlogs more reliable, they are also engaging and easy-to-understand for vernacular audiences.

What topics do the doctors cover?

As key opinion leaders (KOLs), doctors who are leveraging the platform’s value proposition to reach the masses cover a diverse set of topics related to the COVID-19 crisis. These include the origin and symptoms of COVID-19, how to stop the spread, necessary precaution, and the importance of social distancing. Therefore, the doctors are defeating all the fake knowledge doing the rounds across Whatsapp, Facebook, etc.

Through this initiative, Trell is maintaining a steady supply of verified information from certified health experts and is continuously adding more doctors on the platform who can share genuine insights and help the country during this challenging time.  Further, the doctors have verified badges to distinguish between creators and themselves.

In this unprecedented and strange situation, it is very easy to believe anything that we read or watch. Therefore, we end up falling prey to baseless information that can cause us to experience added stress.  In this situation, reliable facts from doctors who are first-hand witnesses of the situation are the need of the hour. Fortunately, the frontline warriors – our country’s doctors – are committed to defeating the pandemic and the misinformation.