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Fake News Misinformation and Hate Speech in Ethiopia: A Vulnerability Assessment

Brussels: European Institute of Peace (2021), 22 pp.

"The assessment found that Ethiopia's media ecosystem's weaknesses have made it vulnerable to fake news, misinformation, and hate speech. Some of the driving factors are undoubtedly historical, including the weak state of private media in Ethiopia, the critical role of the Ethiopian diaspora in medi ... more

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The Psychology of Fake News

Gordon Pennycook, David G. Rand

Trends in Cognitive Sciences, volume 25, issue 5 (2021), pp. 388-402

"We synthesize a burgeoning literature investigating why people believe and share false or highly misleading news online. Contrary to a common narrative whereby politics drives susceptibility to fake news, people are ‘better’ at discerning truth from falsehood (despite greater overall belief) wh ... more

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Social Media and the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Dilemma of Fake News Clutter Vs. Social Responsibility

Moez Ben Messaoud

Journal of Arab & Muslim Media Research, volume 14, issue 1 (2021), pp. 25-45

"This article examines the relationship between fake news and social media as increasingly important sources of news, at a time when mainstream media no longer have exclusive control over news production and dissemination. It has been evident that few media outlets and professionals tend to draw con ... flicting news about COVID-19 from social media feeds, which are largely produced by common citizens with mostly no journalism training. This pervasive use makes social media key sources to scores of media outlets for news, whether it is related to COVID-19 or public affairs issues, even though it is susceptible to torrents of credibility and accuracy issues. As a result, of the overwhelming spread of fake news on coronavirus, which is contributing to framing events from several angles, media professionals are now obliged to track and vet information circulating on social media. Due to the scale of disinformation spreading on the Web, it has become imperative that the credibility and accuracy of news is thoroughly verified. Media organizations have already been putting in place various mechanisms to monitor false news. This article will attempt to identify and assess these monitoring efforts in the Arab world. For this purpose, I have put together a list of Arab observatories launched on the internet in order to monitor fake news circulating in relation to COVID-19, and to discuss their methods of monitoring work, in the context of mobilization carried out by governments and many organizations such as the World Health Organization. This article is pinned down on social responsibility approach which helps pave the way the differentpropositions to combat fake news and avoid abuses in social media uses. This article proposes an evaluation of the monitoring initiative viaa- vis fake news and proposes a set of guidelines for improving the work of such monitoring bodies. Hence, this research reveals that social media outlets have diversified their goals to match the power of the conventional media in disseminating information and bringing up issues for debate. However, in the light of the framework of social responsibility, social media actors have to constantly develop a set of ethical practices to be observed by users, establish codes of conduct regulating content production, and lay down a code of integrity to assure accuracy in news and information transmission." (Abstract). more

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Effective state practices against disinformation: Four country case studies

Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer

Helsinki: European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats (Hybrid CoE) (2021), 30 pp.

"[...] this Research Report has selected four country case studies: Sweden, Canada, the United Kingdom, and France. Obviously, other cases would have been interesting, particularly the United States. But the United States is already at the centre of other works, including by Hybrid CoE. Being divers ... more

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The Road Ahead: Mapping Civil Society Responses to Disinformation

Samantha Bradshaw, Lisa-Maria Neudert

Washington, DC: National Endowment for Democracy (NED) (2021), 27 pp.

"Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) bring a wide range of skill sets to the problem of digital disinformation. Some organizations focus on digital media literacy and education; others engage in advocacy and policy work. Another segment has developed expertise in fact-checking and verification. Other ... organizations have developed refined technical skills for extracting and analyzing data from social media platforms. This research yielded several clear observations about the state of CSO responses to disinformation and, in turn, suggests several recommendations for paths forward. • Prioritize Skill Diffusion and Knowledge Transfer. Civil society organizations seeking funding for counter-disinformation initiatives should emphasize the importance of skill diffusion and knowledge-transfer initiatives. The siloed nature of disinformation research points to a growing need to blend technical expertise with deep cultural and political knowledge. • CSO researchers lack sufficient access to social media data. Survey respondents identified insufficient access to data as a challenge. Sometimes data are not made available to CSOs; in other instances, data are made available in formats that are not workable for meaningful research purposes. Unequal access to the data that private companies do provide can exacerbate regional inequities, and the nature of data sharing by social media platforms can unduly shape the space for inquiry by civil society and other researchers. Funders, platforms, and other key actors should develop approaches that provide more consistent, inclusive data access to CSOs. • Duplicative programming hampers innovation. CSOs drawing on similar tools, approaches, and techniques to meet similar goals pointed to three main factors preventing more specialized, innovative initiatives: lack of coordination, lack of specific expertise, and lack of flexible funding. Community building and collaboration among relevant organizations deserve more investment, as do initiatives that partner larger, established organizations with smaller or growing ones, or pool efforts, skill sets, and expertise to encourage diverse research by design rather than by coincidence. • Relationships with tech platforms vary across regions. Surveyed CSOs often held simultaneously skeptical and positive opinions about their relationships with social media companies. Some receive preferential access to data and even funding for their work (raising concerns about independence), while others report a lack of responsiveness from company representatives. In the Global South and Eastern Europe, many CSOs expressed concern that platforms failed to meaningfully engage with them on issues of critical concern. • More flexible funding and more diverse research are both necessary. To encourage greater platform accountability across varied geographic contexts, CSOs and their funders should draw on the perspectives of specific, under-analyzed communities." (Executive summary, page 3-4) more

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Respuestas para combatir la desinformación en procesos electorales en Perú

Lima: UNESCO (2021), 72 pp.

"Este informe de UNESCO en Perú analiza una variedad de respuestas que han sido implementadas en el país para contrarrestar los efectos de la desinformación durante las Elecciones Generales 2021. El estudio reconoce que diversas organizaciones han contribuido en la lucha contra las llamadas fake ... more

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GFMD Impact: Disinformation
Deep Insights

Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD); USAID (2021)

"On 17th June 2021 GFMD's International Media Policy and Advisory Centre hosted a meeting of 54 media development donors, practitioners and academics to discuss effective responses to disinformation. Disinformation was chosen after it was selected as a priority in a survey of those engaged with GFMD ... more

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Motivations for Sharing Misinformation: A Comparative Study in Six Sub-Saharan African Countries

Dani Madrid-Morales, Herman Wasserman, Gregory Gondwe et al.

International Journal of Communication, volume 15 (2021), pp. 1200-1219

"In most African countries, “fake news,” politically motivated disinformation, and misinformation in the media were common occurrences before these became a preoccupation in the Global North. However, with a fast-growing population of mobile users, and the popularization of apps such as WhatsApp ... more

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Harmful Information: Misinformation, Disinformation and Hate Speech in Armed Conflict and Other Situations of Violence. ICRC Initial Findings and Perspectives on Adapting Protection Approaches

Delphine van Solinge, Mark Silverman et al.

Geneva: International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) (2021), 20 pp.

"The present document .. first proposes a working definition of what misinformation, disinformation and hate speech” (MDH) are and how they can be framed conceptually. It then explains why MDH is of such significant concern to the ICRC and the wider humanitarian sector. Next, it outlines the key c ... more

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Verschwörungstheorien, Fake News und Rassismus = Théories du complot, fake news et racisme = Teorie del complotto, fake news e razzismo

Martine Brunschwig Graf

Tangram, issue 45 (2021), 164 pp.

"Die Bekämpfung von Rassismus geht einher mit der Bekämpfung von Stereotypen und Vorurteilen, die oft über Verschwörungstheorien und Fake News verbreitet werden. Diese Nummer des Tangram befasst sich mit den Berührungspunkten von Verschwörungstheorien, Fake News und Rassismus. Warum halten sic ... more

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Manual para periodistas y estudiantes de periodismo: IV Desorden informativo y fake news

María Sosa Mendoza

Lima: Instituto de Defensa Legal (IDL); Hanns-Seidel-Stiftung (2021), 75 pp.

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No Excuse for Abuse: What Social Media Companies Can Do Now to Combat Online Harassment and Empower Users

PEN America (2021), 7 pp.

"To ensure that social media becomes safer, more open, and more equitable for all users, platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram must prioritize curbing online harassment. In this report, PEN America proposes concrete, actionable changes that social media companies should make immediately to ... more

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Fighting Fake News: A Study of Online Misinformation Regulation in the Asia Pacific

Andrea Carson

Melbourne: La Trobe University (2021), xvi, 117 pp.

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From Grassroots Activism to Disinformation: Social Media in Southeast Asia

Aim Sinpeng, Ross Tapsell (eds.)

Singapore: ISEAS (2021), 277 pp.

"This book reflects on the role of social media in the past two decades in Southeast Asia. It traces the emergence of social media discourse in Southeast Asia, and its potential as a "liberation technology" in both democratizing and authoritarian states. It explains the growing decline in internet f ... more

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The Truth Gap: How Misinformation and Disinformation Online Affect the Lives, Learning and Leadership of Girls and Young Women

Sharon Goulds et al.

Surrey: Plan International (2021), 46 pp.

"We surveyed over 26,000 girls and young women in 26 countries. 91% of girls and young women surveyed are concerned about misinformation and/or disinformation online. 40% of those surveyed are extremely or very concerned. Misinformation and disinformation are having a negative impact on 87% of the g ... more

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Does the Platform Matter? Social Media and COVID-19 Conspiracy Theory Beliefs in 17 Countries

Yanis Theocharis, Ana Cardenal, Soyeon Jin, Toril Aalberg, David Nicolas Hopmann et al.

New Media & Society, volume 25, issue 12 (2021), pp. 3412-3437

"While the role of social media in the spread of conspiracy theories has received much attention, a key deficit in previous research is the lack of distinction between different types of platforms. This study places the role of social media affordances in facilitating the spread of conspiracy belief ... more

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Disinformation and Fake News

Shashi Jayakumar, Benjamin Ang, Nur Diyanah Anwar (eds.)

Singapore: Palgrave Macmillan (2021), xii, 158 pp.

"While much has been said about individual disinformation campaigns in specific countries, this book offers a panoramic view of how these campaigns are conducted, who they target, and how they are spread. By bringing together research on specific countries and international data mined from questionn ... more

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#StopXinjiang Rumors: The CCP’s Decentralised Disinformation Campaign

Fergus Ryan, Ariel Bogle, Albert Zhang, Jacob Wallis

Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), International Cyber Policy Centre (2021), 50 pp.

"This report analyses two Chinese state-linked networks seeking to influence discourse about Xinjiang across platforms including Twitter and YouTube. This activity targeted the Chinese-speaking diaspora as well as international audiences, sharing content in a variety of languages. Both networks atte ... more

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Humanitarian Communication in a Post-Truth World

Mel Bunce

Journal of Humanitarian Affairs, volume 1, issue 1 (2021), pp. 49-55

"When people look online for information about humanitarian crises, they increasingly encounter media content that blurs the line between reality and fiction. This includes everything from rumour and exaggeration to partisan journalism and completely invented stories designed to look like real news ... more

GFMD Impact: Disinformation Deep Insights

GFMD Impact: Disinformation
Deep Insights