This article offers guidance on managing the infodemic in digital media, based on the experiences of news agencies at a time when an increase in journalistic production is coinciding with the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. A documentary review of the literature (scientific articles and documents from international agencies) on infodemics, infodemiology, and management of journalistic information during disasters and emergencies was carried out, as well as an analysis of the health and fact-checking sections on the websites and social networks of the Reuters, AFP and EFE news agencies. The accumulated experience reveals that it is not only useful but necessary for the media to make use of data analysis, service journalism, anticipation and prevention of false information, collaboration, narratives across different media, and media literacy both in consumers and producers of information. This article proposes a plan consisting of 10 actions (grouped into three stages: information collection, selection of journalistic information, and presentation of information) that can help digital media combat misinformation about health issues.
