Communicating in times of crisis on social networks. Strategies for verification and information intermediation in the cases of Facebook, Instagram and Twitter during COVID-19

The health crisis caused by the virus known as COVID-19 has represented an unprecedented challenge for our health, economy and also our media system. In the age of connectivity, information plays a vital role in helping to combat the pandemic. In this sense, social networks can help spread health or social news, but they can also become one of the greatest transmitters of disinformation, hoaxes and fake news. This paper analyses the main tools that Facebook, Instagram and Twitter have used to fight against these false news. The initial conclusions reveal an approach to information treatment strategies and values of classic journalism, where social networks update the traditional journalistic figure of the GateKeeper, creating filters for potentially false information, as well as warning users of the same through messages inserted in the publication itself, among other techniques.