Fake news and false information on COVID-19 can spread just as quickly as the virus itself. On March 16, the Empirical Studies of Conflict Project in collaboration with Microsoft Research began cataloging misinformation efforts around the pandemic.

• This spreadsheet records stories on misinformation efforts on social media and news outlets with sources, keywords, and direct links. A description of the coding methodology is found in the code book. 
• This sheet features a listing of select URLs carrying disinformation based on ESOC, AFP, and Newsguard data.
• This report examines the COVID-related misinformation, disinformation, and fact-checking capabilities in different regions around the world using data collected by the ESOC team on 5,613 distinct misinformation stories from the early days of the pandemic through the end of December 2020. 

These documents and code book will be updated regularly as more news stories break.