Every human being has the right to be safe and free from violence in their own homes,
in their relationships, and in their community. Intimate partner violence and sexual
violence are endemic problems. Since 2010, the Alaska Victimization Survey (AVS) has
provided comprehensive statewide and regional data on violence against Alaskan women
to guide planning and policy development and to evaluate the impact of prevention
and intervention services.
The AVS is conducted by the UAA Justice Center for the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (CDVSA). We thank each of the approximately 13,000 women in Alaska who have participated
in these surveys. Because of your courage, we know more about the impact of violence
and are better prepared to respond to and prevent it across our state.
At UAA, computer science Professor Shawn Butler has been using machine learning to debunk COVID-19 misinformation on social media. Butler’s efforts are part of the Division of Population Health Sciences and Department of Journalism and Public Communication’s mission to combat COVID-19 misinformation on public-facing Facebook pages with scientifically accurate information from credited sources through its ongoing Alaska Public Health Information Response Team project.
Founding members of the Alaska Public Health Information Response Team submitted a book chapter proposal, entitled "Addressing Health Misinformation in the Infodemic Era: The Alaska Public Health Information Response Team," in the early spring of 2021 for consideration in a forthcoming book, "Building Health Misinformation Immunity: A Professional's Guide to Helping the Public," which was recently published.
A local group has been fighting inaccurate information on Facebook pages. Called the Alaska Public Health Information Response Team, it enlists UAA strategic communications students to spot the bad information, and local health professionals to intervene with posts on Facebook that introduce accurate information.
As the world continues to navigate this once-in-a-generation pandemic, new scientific breakthroughs are unearthed every day and are widely accessible online. Accompanying this free flow of information, however, is an increase of damaging misinformation, referred to by the World Health Organization as an Infodemic.
As misinformation about the coronavirus pandemic seemingly spills into almost every nook and cranny of the internet, some public health professionals in Alaska are countering false claims and myths in an embattled space: Facebook comment threads.