What is Verity Times About?

Welcome to Verity Times!

I know you must be curious to know what this is about. Before I go ahead to quench your curiosity, let me give you a brief backstory...

Ready? Let's go!

In my third semester, I enrolled in a course on 'Misinformation.' I had a spectacular experience in that class; one that birthed a new thing in me. The professor who took the class is a renowned professor in his field. If this makes any sense, his current CV is 37 pages (it's filled with mind-blowing experiences and awards). I fell in love with the readings, presentations and discussions. Before the class ended that semester, I knew I had discovered a new research area.

Then the war began! What kind of war, you might ask. Let me explain.

I have always known that I would love to contribute to the body of knowledge in the field of PR and health communication. After careful research and deliberation after the class, it hit me that I could also conduct research on health misinformation. I didn't want to lose the 'misinformation' bit of my research focus.

I gave you this little backstory to shine the light on the essence of this article you are currently reading.

Okay now...let's go ahead!

As with every field, there are still existing research gaps regardless of the thousands of researchers who set out with problems/ research questions they intend to find answers to. The field of health communication isn't excluded.

I understand the power of education and the impact it has on individuals. I also understand that empowering individuals with the right skills will guide them through their journey. Hence, this is what I intend to do with this website/ blog.

The problem:

INDIVIDUALS: Sustainable Development Goal 3 aspires to ensure health and well-being for all. While this is an achievable goal, we cannot be blind to the fact that many individuals lack knowledge about their health or ways to ensure they take care of their health. Also, the internet is flooded with health misinformation that is believed by many individuals today. If you don't know, health misinformation is a threat to public health. When people believe lies about their health and take actions that damage their health, it becomes a bigger challenge to society.

ORGANIZATIONS: Many communication professionals, agencies and even organizations within the health industry lack adequate knowledge to create health campaigns that drive behavior change. It's one of the many reasons why some health campaigns are less effective.

This website/blog aims to achieve two things:

1. Empower individuals with skills and knowledge to help them identify health misinformation both offline and online. Although everyone is susceptible to misinformation, having good knowledge about this will protect you.

2. Educate professionals on health communication-related topics that will equip them with the right knowledge to carry out their jobs effectively (which ultimately impacts society).

I believe I have a role to play in combating the spread of health misinformation and also contributing to the field of health communication, both in theory and practice.

I hope you stick around!

See you.