HIFA's previous work with the New York Law School has shown that government have an obligation under international human rights law to ensure that their populations are adequately informed on health. Since then, to our knowledge, no government has recognised this obligation. Indeed, several governments have been actively contributing to health misinformation.
This new paper in JAMA Network Open shows that the US CDC and other health organizations and businesses spent ~$37 million over four years advertising on 11 news websites that have spread health misinformation.
CITATION: Research Letter Public Health
Advertising Payments to News Websites That Publish Health Misinformation
Neeraj G. Patel et al.
JAMA Netw Open
Published Online: April 1, 2026
2026;9;(4):e265068. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.5068
The authors conclude:
'Although our study was limited to only 11 news websites identified for publishing health misinformation with available advertising expenditure data, and the proportion of website material made up of misinformation is not known, our findings illustrate the possibly inadvertent financial support many government and health organizations are providing by making advertising payments to these news websites. Advertisements from these organizations may enhance trust in misinformation or diminish trust in the government or health organization. Stronger restrictions may be needed to avoid placing advertisements on news websites that spread health misinformation.'
COMMENT (NPW): It remains unclear what proportion of (for example) CDC-funded advertising is 'reliable' or includes misinformation. The CDC is already notorious for the misinformation on its website: "The claim "vaccines do not cause autism" is not an evidence-based claim..."
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org