Season 2 - Episode 4 - Digital

Under Cover

Story One: Wellness influencers and lifestyle gurus are finding themselves in positions of power across social media. They’ve been afforded more trust and intimacy with their audiences than ever before. Followers of influencers and social media personalities have turned to them for information and advice on a range of health concerns, despite these so called ‘gurus’ having little to no credentials. Reporter: James Kleeman.

Story Two: Coronavirus information has spread rapidly, particularly on YouTube. But what happens when important updates on COVID19 is demonetised or taken off from such a widely used platform? Does this contribute to the misinformation, or does it actually prevent it? This story looks into whether or not YouTube’s demonetisation policy has encouraged the spread of COVID19 misinformation or reduced it. Reporter: Georgia Barry.

Story Three: The roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines hit trouble in Australia during mid-April. This was when Genene Norris, a woman from New South Wales passed away from blood clots just days after receiving the AstraZeneca shot. With only citizens over 50 recommended to get this vaccine now, this story looks at how this is impacting the Australian public. Reporter: Sean Mortell.

Story Four: In early February, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that the government will give “all Australians the opportunity to be vaccinated” by October this year. This includes Australian citizens, permanent residents as well as most visa holders, which covers refugees and asylum seekers. But it’s uncertain how many refugees and asylum seekers have actually received the COVID vaccine so far. Reporter: Youssef Saudie.

Story Five: Many Muslims have turned towards their community faith leaders for advice about Coronavirus misinformation. So how are these leaders handling the confusion of those who trust them? Should there be concerns about the reliability of the guidance they provide? Reporter: Shamsiya Hussainpoor.