"Este artigo discute a interseção entre desinformação e religião a partir de canais do YouTube tendo como cenário a pandemia de COVID-19. Para tanto, são analisados 75 materiais audiovisuais postados em dois canais do YouTube – do Pastor Silas Malafaia e do Instituto Plinio Corrêa de Olive
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ira. No contexto da pandemia, tal tema permeou o debate de distintas áreas, dentre elas a religiosa. No entanto, muitas vezes esses conteúdos corroboravam com o que a OMS denominou como “infodemia” e com o processo de desinformação, já que diversos elementos contestatórios aos protocolos de saúde e sem qualquer evidência científica eram divulgados e circulavam, em especial, a partir de vídeos em mídias sociais, incluindo o YouTube. Em função da centralidade que a religião ocupa no cenário brasileiro, tais discursos possuem alcance e relevância na conformação do ambiente informacional dos indivíduos. Portanto, nesta pesquisa, buscou-se identificar as principais narrativas e elementos argumentativos encontrados nos vídeos dos dois canais que faziam qualquer tipo de referência à pandemia. Dentre os principais resultados destacam-se as narrativas que evidenciam teorias conspiratórias, o descredito à imprensa e a associação ao pânico e ao excesso de atenção em relação ao tema. Ademais, tais discursos são múltiplos e aparecem de forma distinta nos canais, o que reforça a complexidade do diálogo entre a desordem informativa e o papel desempenhado por influenciadores religiosos no ambiente digital." (Abstract)
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"Las comunidades indígenas de la región amazónica peruana fueron duramente golpeadas por la pandemia de la COVID-19. Prácticamente desde sus inicios, surgieron distintas iniciativas para informar adecuadamente en las lenguas originarias a las comunidades, pero también otras que permitieran cont
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ribuir a paliar y reducir los impactos de la pandemia. En este artículo analizamos un proyecto implementado para enfrentar la pandemia de la COVID-19 así como otras emergencias sanitarias en general. Este proyecto fue diseñado en conjunto con el equipo de comunicadores indígenas de Radio Ucamara, ubicada en la ciudad de Nauta (región Loreto), en la Amazonía nororiental del Perú. El principal objetivo de este proyecto fue el de convertir a la radio en un centro o hub comunicacional que permita el flujo de información sobre la situación de salud de las comunidades indígenas a las autoridades regionales, y viceversa, de tal manera que permita una atención en salud primaria oportuna y culturalmente pertinente." (Resumen)
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"This article provides a case study of an information campaign directed at people of Somali decent living in the worst hit district of Oslo, the capital of Norway. The Somalis were the immigrant group most affected by the COVID-19 in Norway during the first wave of the pandemic. The campaign used se
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lected Somali-speaking ‘ambassadors’ as well as videos and network methodology to reach those within the Somali population who are least integrated into Norwegian society. The lessons learned from this case may both inform the theory of information campaigns and provide practical lessons learned for other groups in later high-risk information-need situations." (Abstract)
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"Schaut man sich die Beispiele des Umgangs mit Corona in den drei behandelten Fernsehformaten – Nachrichten, fiktive Erzählgenres und Corona-Miniserien – an, fällt eine seltsame Ausweichbewegung auf, auch dann, wenn die Pandemie selbst das Thema ist. In den Nachrichten wird die Krankheit durch
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industrielle, menschenleere Bildarrangements erzählt, im Reich der Serien und Feature-Filme wird sie gleich ganz verschwiegen, und das Nischen-TV der experimentellen Corona-Miniserien zieht sich auf eine Dramedy mit komischer Heldin zurück. In der Erzähltheorie spricht man davon, dass nur mögliche Leben (possible lives) erzählt werden können, weil lediglich im Rahmen der eigenen Kultur und ihrer Vergangenheit ein Verständnis erzeugt werden könne. Dementsprechend scheint im derzeitigen Deutschland auch die Pandemie an die Grenzen der Erzählbarkeit zu stoßen. Covid-19 ist zwar nicht die erste Seuche, die das Abendland heimgesucht hat und erzählt wurde – man denke an die Pest, die Cholera, die spanische Grippe und AIDS –, sie ist aber die erste, die gleichzeitig global verbreitet ist, globalisierte Regime und Abwehrstrategien verlangt und – welch eine Kränkung! – in den demokratischen Nationen schwerer unter Kontrolle zu bringen ist als in einigen autoritären Regimen. Das kulturelle Selbstbewusstsein des Globalen Nordens verlangt, »Herr der Lage« zu sein. Wenn das nicht möglich ist, müssen wenigstens die Opfer unsichtbar bleiben. In den Unterhaltungsgenres, in denen vom besseren Leben geträumt wird und wo das (oft nur zwischenzeitliche) Liebes-Happyend alles wieder gut macht, hat Corona mit seiner Todesdrohung und seiner Berührungslosigkeit keinen Platz. Nur in einem Nischengenre wird ausprobiert, wie ein Leben mit Gesicht, Körper und Corona erzählt werden könnte." (Epilog, Seite 285)
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"Do emotions we experience after reading headlines help us discern true from false information or cloud our judgement? Understanding whether emotions are associated with distinguishing truth from fiction and sharing information has implications for interventions designed to curb the spread of misinf
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ormation. Among 1,341 Facebook users in Nigeria, we find that emotions—specifically happiness and surprise—are associated with greater belief in and sharing of false, relative to true, COVID-19 headlines. Respondents who are older are more reflective, and do not support the ruling party are better at discerning true from false COVID-19 information."
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"Digital technology, while an important enabler of many COVID-19 mitigation measures, has also contributed to the rise of misinformation and disinformation surrounding the pandemic. The circulation of rumours, conspiracy theories, false claims and misconceptions about the novel coronavirus has had a
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pronounced impact on the world. Leveraging digital tools to facilitate access to reliable (and potentially life-saving) information and reduce exposure to misinformation and disinformation is a new skill that policy makers and communities at large need to master in the context of the events of the past two years.
Some efforts have been successful, while others have faced challenges and stalled. While the situation remains globally fluid and continues to evolve, it is possible to conclude that there is a wealth of innovative applications of ICT for infodemic management. The choice, design and implementation of any given solution or strategy need to be supported through a number of steps that should be coordinated and comprehensive in scope." (Conclusion, page 60)
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"Salali and Uysal (2020) found in their study that vaccine acceptance significantly increased when people believe in the natural origin of the virus. Therefore, mis/disinformation and conspiracy theories about how the virus started need to be debunked, especially in countries having high vaccine hes
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itancy rates. Fact-checking agencies and independent fact-checkers have a major role to play. Banerjee et al. (2010) found in their study that providing incentives boosted immunization rates. This strategy is currently being applied in the COVID-19 vaccination drive [...] Government and health authorities should be aware of anti-vaccine campaigns and take necessary actions. Necessary services should be provided in areas with high illiteracy rates or poverty to help those people get vaccinated. Media needs to get better at reportage. Spreading the truth about the harmful effects of not taking COVID-19 vaccine can help in lowering vaccine hesitancy. Balance needs to be maintained in reporting incidents like deaths or side effects which might not be related to vaccines. Mis/disinformation spread on national media outlets about the virus or vaccine should be condemned. Boosting transparency and the spread of accurate and sufficient information related to the virus and vaccines can help in mitigating the peoples’ fears and doubts. Therefore, government needs to be more upfront in providing latest information about COVID-19 vaccines. Public concerns should be handled by public health authorities. Communication helpline should be developed where people can explain their fears and doubts about vaccines and gain insights on the situation. Religious and opinion leaders can help encourage their followers to get vaccinated. Policymakers and public health officials need to come up with targeted health communication strategies for subgroups with high vaccine hesitancy." (Conclusion, page 318)
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"The COVID-19 pandemic and the nationwide lockdown have made community radio broadcasting more important than before. Using case studies and interviews, we explored the kind of programming adopted by selected community radio (CR) stations in India during the pandemic and how they fight fake news. We
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also analyzed other issues they addressed during this period. We identified more dedicated programming services concerning COVID-19, fake news, and mental health using two-way communication by CR stations. The latter shared personalized and fact-checked information disseminated to the community. Issues related to rising domestic violence and mental health were also highlighted in their broadcast during the nationwide lockdown. Fake news percolated quickly in the communities where most members are illiterate and have little access to fact-checked information. CR stations indeed play a pivotal role in engaging the community in verifying fake news through personalized storytelling, using folk and traditional media, and engaging COVID-19 warriors from the community to authenticate the information." (Abstract)
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"¿Qué papel tuvieron las radios comunitarias durante la pandemia? Los autores de esta publicación analizan el contexto y los desafíos de la comunicación popular en Ecuador. La infodemia, la proliferación de noticias falsas, las dificultades de los medios de comunicación tradicionales en llega
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r con información clave en la prevención de la enfermedad reactivó la importancia de las radios comunitarias. A través de ellas, en los lugares más apartados, sobre todo en la ruralidad, la población se enteró de las medidas de prevención, de las convocatorias para las pruebas de detección del virus e incluso de los decesos ocurridos a causa del Covid-19 en sus territorios. Así mismo, la radio ha tenido una importancia fundamental en la modalidad virtual de educación durante el confinamiento." (Descripción de la casa editorial)
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"In 2020 Internews launched the Rooted in Trust project to counter rumors and misinformation about COVID-19. They commissioned Translators without Borders (TWB) to map community radio stations and investigate the language and translation challenges community radio broadcasters face when relaying off
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icial COVID-19 risk communication to their audience. To better understand these challenges, TWB conducted a survey and interviews with 65 community radio broadcasters, representing a quarter of all community radio stations across Afghanistan. Based on our survey, we mapped community radio stations and the reach of each radio signal to estimate overall radio coverage across the country. Where possible, we triangulated our findings with data from Internews’ Information Ecosystem Assessment in Kabul, Kandahar, and Herat. Community radio stations remain an important source of information, especially for rural populations, less literate individuals, and in remote provinces. During public health emergencies, broadcasters can turn into health communicators and support the relay of risk communication, but they face several challenges.
• Radio signals don’t cover all provinces: Based on the radio signals we were able to map, radio coverage doesn’t reach people equally across the country. Speakers of marginalized languages have especially limited access to radio broadcasts. Relative to population density, speakers of Turkmeni, Brahui, Balochi, and Uzbeki have especially limited access to radio broadcasts.
• Few broadcasts are in languages other than Dari and Pashto: Dari and Pashto are the main broadcasting languages, but not everyone understands them. Broadcasts in other languages are largely limited to adverts, short audio clips, and sporadic language mixing in talk shows and call-in shows. Dedicated programs providing in-depth information in another language are rare.
• Language barriers reduce the quality and timeliness of broadcasts: Community radio stations lack resources and translation capacity to broadcast in languages other than Dari or Pashto. As a result, some important information is delayed, and some is never broadcast at all. The quality and level of detail of broadcasts in other languages is also reduced.
• Broadcasters face difficulties accessing available information: Most community radio stations have limited access to the internet and experience electricity failures. This makes accessing and validating available information on COVID 19 extremely difficult. Also, background information is often passed to broadcasters in English, but with limited internet access this information can’t readily be translated.
• Information needs to be provided in plain language: Broadcasters don’t relay information that uses complicated language or technical and medical terms. New terms and complex new information around medical issues need to be rewritten and presented in plain language for a general audience. Yet community radio stations often can’t provide plain-language editing, so don’t relay more complex information." (Overview, page 1)
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"55 alumni of training programmes run by the Thomson Reuters Foundation (TRF) shared their experiences about living – and working – in the COVID era. These insights, coupled with extensive desk research and analysis, inform the narrative of this new report [...] COVID-19 has had a twin impact on
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journalism: not only has it presented a unique set of challenges for journalists, but it has also accentuated and accelerated several major structural issues that predate the pandemic. These issues include encroachments on press freedom, the news industry’s faltering business model, the erosion of trust in journalism and combating fake news. Laws banning ‘fake news’ can be used as instruments to support government crackdowns on media freedom and on reporting with which political elites disagree. The pandemic has offered a justification for more countries to introduce these types of laws, tighten current restrictions or suspend existing laws. Even if these developments are rolled back, journalism and the news industry is unlikely to return to its pre-pandemic state. Many of the jobs and outlets that have been lost will never reappear, and those that do may look very different to the way they were." (Executive summary)
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"We illustrate the principles and processes of gender transformative communication by presenting a case study of a long-running social change initiative spearheaded by Minga Perú, a community-based organization in the Peruvian Amazon. Applying a gender and power lens, we illustrate how communicatio
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n transforms existing gender structures. Specifically, we analyze the monumental shifts that are occurring in roles, norms, hierarchies and relationships between women and men in the Peruvian Amazon emanating from Minga’s gender transformative approach. Our analysis highlights gendered shifts at the individual, family, community and institutional level. Through our analysis we outline a communicative process for gender transformation, highlighting how the Minga approach contributes to multiple gender-related outcomes across health, violence, participation, agency and decision-making. We argue that each component of Minga’s process is essentially communicative in nature. Simply put, communication serves as both a means and an end to achieving gender transformation." (Abstract)
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"Russia recycled previous narratives and exacerbated tensions in Western society while attempting some propaganda about Russian scientific prowess. Russia’s approach evolved little; it recycled previous narratives, spreading a broad range of COVID-19 disinformation. Evidence supports the theory th
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at Russia seeks to strengthen itself in relative terms by weakening the West, while China seeks to strengthen itself in absolute terms. The Kremlin and the CCP learned from each other. While limited evidence exists of explicit cooperation, instances of narrative overlap and circular amplification of disinformation show that China is following a Russian playbook with Chinese characteristics. Russia is simultaneously learning from the Chinese approach. The largest difference between China and Russia’s information warfare tactics remains China’s insistence on narrative consistency, compared with Russia’s “firehose of falsehoods” strategy. Even with substantially greater resources, this largely prevents Chinese narratives from swaying public opinion or polarizing societies." (Executive summary)
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"Internews in South Sudan has now been on the ground for 7 months, providing lifesaving information about the COVID-19 pandemic to at risk and affected populations, including to refugees, IDPs and those living in PoCs. With the publication of our 10th Lugara newsletter we would like to first say tha
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nk you for reading our bulletins! Even though our project is coming to an end, Internews will continue to mainstream COVID-19 in to existing programs and interventions as part of the national COVID-19 response transition plan. We are eager to hear from you on how any future Internews newsletters could best serve communities and partners – please send us your feedback on what you gained from Lugara and other topics of interest we could consider. Through the publication of the Lugara COVID-19 Media bulletins (you can find an overview of all our published resources below), we have sought to strengthen the quality of communications around COVID-19 and response mechanisms. We have collaborated with local media by building their capacity to gather, analyze, assess, and report accurate and timely COVID-19 related information." (Page 1)
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"BBC Media Action is helping to reduce the transmission of the coronavirus in Afghanistan by using a media campaign to encourage uptake of preventive behaviours. Informed by research the project’s media outputs aim to help reduce the transmission of the coronavirus by encouraging take up of the fo
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llowing behaviours: Handwashing with soap and water more frequently; Disinfecting high touch surfaces; Catching coughs and sneezes; Maintaining a physical distance from people that you don’t live with. The campaign features: Seventeen (17) video and 18 audio PSAs distributed on TV, social media and radio featuring a little girl and her family who urges everyone to follow preventive behaviours to reduce the chance of getting the Coronavirus and escape the fate of losing loved ones, like she had, losing her father. Six different PSAs produced in Dari, Pashto and Uzbek languages, and distributed across national and local radio and TV stations as well as on Facebook. Forty (40) five minute episodes of a fast fiction radio drama targeting the nomadic Kuchi population were also produced and distributed on radio, interactive voice response (IVR) and Facebook.
Impact: A Reach and Engagement survey was conducted in February and March 2021 of a nationally representative sample with 2,729 men and women aged 18 years and above, from settled urban and rural areas of 16 provinces of all eight geographic regions. In addition, 273 interviews were conducted with Kuchis (nomads). The survey’s primary goals were to gauge how successful the PSAs were in terms of reaching their intended targets and what the impact of the PSAs were, in terms of audiences’ knowledge and take up of preventative measures. The survey has shown that approximately 7.6 million have listened to or watched at least one of the PSAs or drama episodes (46% of the Afghanistan’s adult population). About three quarters of the audience (74%) reported to have discussed the PSAs with other people." (Page 1)
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