A misinformation expert says that people should stop using the term fake news.

First Draft is an organisation that aims to protect communities from harmful misinformation.

Laura Garcia, their training and support manager, said: “The more we keep using the phrase fake news, the more that it sounds like journalism and the news media are the source of the problem when we’re really just one part of a very complex fragmented but networked information environment that we all live in now.”

Laura spoke to Invicta News in response to Facebook’s announcement on Wednesday that it would take ‘stronger’ action against people who repeatedly share misinformation on the platform.

False claims and conspiracies have multiplied on social media platforms, including Facebook and Twitter, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

These platforms have escalated their attempts in tackling this issue in response.

“Whether it’s false or misleading content about COVID-19 and vaccines, climate change, elections or other topics, we’re making sure fewer people see misinformation on our apps,” the company said in a statement.

Laura Garcia agreed that social media are making efforts to tackle this issue but believed that more can be done.

She said: “We in the industry definitely think that platforms should be taking a more active role and also being more transparent about it.”

She also argued that researchers and analysts should be working with these platforms to make sure the moderation policy is effective.

For example, TikTok users have made multiple complaints about the platform’s inconsistent moderation policy.

Several creators have had their accounts banned or videos taken down without an explanation.

One such creator is @Danijnk. Their account has grown during the pandemic and they now have over 30,000 followers and two million likes.

Dani believes the platform’s community guidelines should be more clearly defined.

They said: “I’ll wake up one day to a random video being taken down with a two-worded excuse. Minimal explanation is provided even after contacting them directly which is so frustrating.

“It can be really frustrating not knowing what went wrong and having to wait days for appeal updates. The absolute bare minimum we should be getting is clearly defined guidelines and explanations for their actions.”

Dani once had a compilation of their tattoo designs taken down by TikTok for “Adult nudity and sexual activity”.

Though the video was restored they said they never received an explanation when the video was completely PG.

Laura Garcia believes that the fight against misinformation goes further than moderation policies.

The training and support manager said: “It is important that we re-evaluate our relationship with information on and off the internet.

“We have to realise that the information that we share with each other is important and that everything that we share with each other carries information and therefore could potentially carry misinformation.”