Califf on New ‘Ecosystem’ to Fight Disinformation
[Report by Jim Dickinson] Amid rising anti-government rhetoric and threats from the far right fanned by supporters of former president Donald Trump, FDA commissioner Robert Califf tells FDA Webview he feels his agency is secure but alert to the menace of disinformation. In an 8/17 discussion with me, he said the challenge presented by both malicious disinformation and naïve misinformation at the consumer level is bigger than FDA can handle by itself “because there is so much mistrust.” Consequently, he said, FDA is joining a developing “ecosystem or framework” of other entities, especially universities, but also professional societies, health systems and industry, to come up with solutions.
While this effort is already underway, Califf opined that it will likely need at least a year to become apparent to the public in a series of meetings as the various entities bring their own concerns forward. He noted that although FDA has long had a “cyber warfare defense system, even the experts are baffled” by the misinformation problem. He added that industry’s role in the effort to find solutions will necessarily be constrained by its obvious financial conflicts of interest.
Califf believes the American public is “swimming in an ocean of information without a compass to help them figure out which is reliable and useful and which is misleading.” He says his agency is going to come up with a “much more comprehensive plan that is specific to the FDA.” Califf has made misinformation a top priority, emphasizing that FDA counter-measures to misinformation extend also to the quality of scientific evidence generation for new therapies.
FDA Webview attempted to put the democracy-menacing disinformation issue to Califf in the context of an 8/4 private meeting that President Biden had at the White House with a small group of prominent academics, including Princeton history professor Sean Wilentz, who brought his concerns to CNN’s Michael Smerconish program 8/13. Our approach was intercepted by FDA assistant commissioner for media affairs Michael Felberbaum, who said the agency has “taken significant steps to combat misinformation that is being perpetuated online and by high-profile public officials, celebrities and certain news organizations.
“The agency’s efforts,” Felberbaum continued in an 8/15 email, “have included:
• Working with news media and other organizations to do countless fact-checks of misinformation, responding to comments on social media to correct inaccuracies;
• Creating numerous resources for our website and social media to address common questions about the products we regulate or combat dangerous misinformation and rumors;
• Posting videos with subject matter experts on social media;
• Livestreaming our media and stakeholder calls;
• Arming public health stakeholders with toolkits of resources and accurate information on myths versus facts; and
• Posting the memos and other regulatory documents that outline the agency’s decision-making.
“Unfortunately, despite the FDA’s aggressive efforts, there continues to be an army of people both in the U.S. and abroad, that have continued to aggressively push misinformation that is inflicting significant harm and delaying prevention or treatment for real people, particularly as it relates to the COVID-19 pandemic."