The technology of Disseminating Myths and Fakes on the Subject of a Healthy Lifestyle in Mass Media

Distribution of fake news, that is, information on various informational issues relevant to society that do not correspond to reality, is one of the most pressing problems of the modern media space not only in Russia, but also on a global level. Fake news allows you to manage public opinion in various fields of human activity, which is already manifested in the accumulation of protest political sentiments in different countries of the world. In addition, fake news on medical topics is especially dangerous for society, since in the media and social media false information about the properties of medicines and dietary supplements is often disseminated for advertising purposes. Due of the low level of medical literacy of the population of the Russian Federation who do not have the appropriate education, as well as their penchant for trusting “alternative” sources of information, drugs with unproven effectiveness find a consumer after a successful advertising campaign, and measures to refute such information appear to be insufficiently effective despite the fact that many states at the legislative level reinforce the need to combat fake news on various topics including medical. The main problem of the study, which must be solved within its framework, is that the media, the key purpose of which is the transmission of true and verified news information, disseminate information of an advertising and news nature that does not meet professional and social requirements. Instead of the enlightening role of the media in this case, they perform an exclusively informative function, allowing the publication of fake news. The field of research is interdisciplinary, as it includes the field of journalism (verification of data accuracy), the field of philosophy (categories of “fact”, “objectivity”), the field of axiology (categories of “value of information”, “quality of information”), field of management (process optimization news release). This study aims to identify the most effective channels for disseminating fake news regarding medicines, dietary supplements, as well as vaccinations in the media and social media of the Russian Federation over the past 5 years.The work used both general scientific and specialized methods. In addition, a sociological survey of 30 respondents was conducted - residents of Moscow from 25 to 50 years old. An expert survey will make it possible to assess not only the degree of distribution of fake news regarding medicines, dietary supplements and vaccinations, but also the key problems of counteracting the distribution of fake news. The survey was attended by 5 experts - representatives of the medical community, as well as journalists of scientific publications.