commbox Disinformation & Misinformation

Disinformation & Misinformation

Filter

729

Sort by:

Direction:

Download (24)

News Distortion in Times of Crises: Covid-19 Case in the Arab Media

Mostafa Shehata, Noha Adel

International Journal of Communication, volume 18 (2024), pp. 5222-5246

"This article investigates news distortion within the Arab media ecosystem, as manifested on Arab media Facebook pages and perceived by Arab journalists during the COVID-19 pandemic. A textual analysis was conducted on 6 news Facebook pages affiliated with major local media channels in 6 Arab countr ... more

External Link (81)

Detoxing information ecosystems: A proactive strategy for tackling disinformation

Steffen Leidel, Dennis Reineck

Bonn: Deutsche Welle DW Akademie (2024), 14 pp.

Download (20)

Mapping Climate Disinformation Ecosystem in Croatia and Slovenia

Mato Brautovic

Dubrovnik: Adria Digital Media Observatory (2024), 10 pp.

External Link (76)

Google Scholar (75)

WorldCat (85)

Mapping Lies in the Global Media Sphere

Tirse Erbaysal Filibeli, Melis Öneren Özbek (eds.)

London; New York: Routledge (2024), 224 pp.

"This volume addresses the concept of “(in)nocent lies” in the media – beyond the concept of misleading information online, this extends to a deliberate effort to spread misinformation, disinformation and conspiracy theories – and proposes a critical approach to tackle the issue in related i ... more

External Link (86)

Google Scholar (73)

WorldCat (81)

“We don’t believe in [the] Coronavirus; we believe in Allah. Whatever happens, it happens from Allah”: Pakistani media’s response to countering conspiracy theories during the COVID-19 pandemic

Madeeha Naz, Amir Hamza Marwan

Newspaper Research Journal, volume 46, issue 1 (2024), pp. 6-28

"This study examines the coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic by the four leading newspapers of Pakistan—Dawn, The News, Daily Times and The Nation—when they were responsible for informing and educating the public during a health crisis hit by conspiracy theories. The researchers utilized content a ... more

Download (19)

Winning the Battle of Ideas: Exposing Global Authoritarian Narratives and Revitalizing Democratic Principles

Joseph Siegle

Washington, DC: National Endowment for Democracy (NED) (2024), 23 pp.

"Rather than selling authoritarianism as such, authoritarian narratives focus on themes that have popular appeal—while attributing a wide range of visceral grievances to the shortcomings of democracy. Authoritarian narratives fall into four broad categories: 1. Noninterference, Choice, and Threats ... to Sovereignty: Narrative attempts to invoke universal themes such as sovereignty, noninterference, and choice which are presented as under threat from the spread of democracy. 2. Exploiting Grievances in the Global South: Tactics designed to attribute the numerous grievances in the Global South to exploitation by the West. 3. Democracies Failing to Deliver: A narrative that takes aim at the efficacy of democracy and, by implication, amplifies the ill-informed narratives about effectiveness of authoritarian governance. 4. Need for a New World Order: Collectively, the claims of Western interference, exploitation, and governance failures are intended to generate disillusionment with democracy and receptiveness to nondemocratic rule. Autocrats use a variety of channels to disseminate these preferred narratives at scale. The four following methods are particularly noteworthy: 1. Social Media: Authoritarians have taken advantage of the enormous—and still growing—social media sphere to promote narratives legitimizing autocracy. They exploit many users’ limited digital literacy skills through information influence campaigns and the employment of bots and online “troll farms” to peddle their preferred worldview. 2. State Broadcasters: Authoritarian actors also disseminate narratives through state media like RT, Sputnik, Xinhua, and China Global Television Network (CGTN). These outlets have the tone and imprimatur of an official news service, giving them a veneer of credibility that expands their reach. 3. Partnerships with Local Media: Authoritarian state-backed outlets aim to embed their content within national information environments. By disseminating preferred narratives through local media outlets and training foreign journalists, authoritarian actors are able to propagate norms of state control over the public information sphere. 4. Foreign Media Cooptation: Finally, authoritarian states are forging partnerships with other state broadcasters. These relationships have the indirect effect of incentivizing self-censorship and enable the intimidation of journalists and activists who criticize authoritarian leadership." (Executive summary, page 1-.2) more

Download (19)

Russia's Information Warfare in the Middle East

Arik Segal

Potsdam: Friedrich Naumann Foundation (2024), 36 pp.

"This policy paper provides an overview of Russian information warfare in the Middle East. It includes a brief overview of Russian information warfare methods and Russian foreign policy in the Middle East. It then delves into Russian information warfare in the Middle East, evaluates its effectivenes ... more

External Link (67)

Effectively countering disinformation: Perspectives from every continent

Cathleen Berger, Charlotte Freihse, Otto Meyer

Gütersloh; Berlin: Bertelsmann Stiftung; Global Public Policy Institute (GPPI) (2024), 33 pp.

"Disinformation is spread in every part of the world. In this comparative report, we analyse similarities and differences based on a 6-part international research series commissioned and supported by the Upgrade Democracy team between 2023-2024 under the theme “strengthening democracy, countering ... more

External Link (86)

Understanding and Addressing Mis-/Disinformation in the Afghan Media Ecosystem

Internews (2024), 21 pp.

"This report summarizes Internews’ six-month social media monitoring research conducted in 2023 that aimed to better understand the online mis- and disinformation environment in Afghanistan. [...] The first phase of the study revealed key aspects of Afghanistan's digital information landscape. The ... research found four common narratives around mis- and disinformation including the Taliban/Taliban de facto authorities’ threat to human and minority rights, loss of self-rule, the Taliban de facto authorities’ legitimacy as a governing body, and opposition to their governance. Most of the associated mis- and disinformation associated with these narratives originated from the Afghan diaspora. The research also found a gender imbalance in the digital discourse, with male-dominated discussions and limited female participation. Gender narratives on social media are mostly driven by men, often portraying women passively, and include disinformation tactics by the Taliban de facto authorities, such as falsely showing women's support for oppressive policies. Anti-Taliban sentiments included former government figures who significantly shape digital discourse and contribute to spreading disinformation including exaggerations or fabrications of the authorities’ actions. However, alongside anti-Taliban sentiments, there was a notable pro-Taliban commentary endorsing their governance and presenting them in favourable ways. Our findings for the second phase reveal several troubling trends. Many news stories feature clickbait or misleading headlines that don't align with the actual content. A significant problem is the presentation of unverified information as fact, which fosters public mistrust. Approximately 40% of false news stories lack sources, and over half rely on just a single source, affecting the depth and reliability of reporting. Additionally, there is a tendency to use sensational headlines and emotionally charged content to increase engagement, often sacrificing factual accuracy. The rapid spread of misinformation is also facilitated by exploiting audience behaviours on social media. Afghan media, particularly those dependent on donor funding, struggle to balance accurate reporting with the need for high audience engagement. Complex reporting dynamics in Afghanistan include protecting sources, relying on second-hand information, and the difficulty of verifying claims made on social media. While some media outlets endeavour to use diverse sources, the challenges of fact verification and maintaining reporting integrity persist. The report recommends establishing fact-checking initiatives, promoting digital literacy, and ethical journalism practices. For media outlets, transparency, audience engagement, and balance are key. Meanwhile, donors should prioritize funding for independent media, invest in technology, and support capacity building and collaborative reporting initiatives." (Executive summary, page 3) more

Download (23)

“It Was Very Hard for Me to Keep Doing That Job”: Understanding Troll Farm’s Working in the Arab World

Marina Ayeb, Tiziano Bonini

Social Media + Society, volume 10, issue 1 (2024), 10 pp.

"This article investigates the production culture and routines of “troll farms” in three Arab countries—Tunisia, Egypt, and Iraq—from a production studies approach. A production studies approach enables us to focus on the working conditions of paid trolls. We employed qualitative methods to ... more

Download (22)

Quelle: Künstliche Intelligenz?

Sören Torrau, Florian Köhler

Bonn: Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (bpb) (2024), 13 pp.

External Link (110)

Google Scholar (72)

WorldCat (78)

Political Technology: The Globalisation of Political Manipulation

Andrew Wilson

Cambridge et al.: Cambridge University Press (2024), xii, 486 pp.

"Political technology' is a Russian term for the professional engineering of politics. It has turned Russian politics into theatre and propaganda, and metastasised to take over foreign policy and weaponise history. The war against Ukraine is one outcome. In the West, spin doctors and political consu ... more

Download (37)

The Influence of Media Trust and Normative Role Expectations on the Credibility of Fact Checkers

Florian Primig

Journalism Practice, volume 18, issue 5 (2024), pp. 1137-1157

"Fact-checking has been granted a pivotal role in mitigating the effects of online disinformation, but its effectiveness has nonetheless been questioned. Like any persuasive communication, fact checkers depend on their recipients perceiving both their messages and them as credible. This study invest ... more

Download (28)

‘Living in a post-truth era’? Online misinformation in everyday life in rural and urban China

Pu Yan, Ralph Schroeder

Information, Communication & Society (2024), 21 pp.

"This paper investigates everyday information seeking and misinformation among Internet users in rural and urban China. The research employs both quantitative and qualitative methods to identify user demographics and categories of misinformation encountered on mobile devices online. The paper makes ... more

External Link (64)

VerificAudio

Sociedad Española de Radiodifusión (2024)

"El rápido avance de la inteligencia artificial y las tecnologías de clonación de voz harán que saber cuándo un audio es real y cuándo es falso sea cada vez más complicado. Y con ello, la manipulación de audio utilizada para fines maliciosos, amenaza con poner en peligro la integridad de inf ... more

Download (16)

Stronger together: Coalitions as a catalyst for information integrity

Tim Niven

São Paulo: Cultura Acadêmica (2024), 18 pp.

External Link (96)

How to spot harmful information in crises

London: CDAC Network (2024), 2 pp.

"In times of emergency, finding reliable information online can be challenging. This guide offers practical advice to help you identify trustworthy information and avoid misinformation. By asking the right questions and using the tools provided, you can make informed decisions even during a crisis." ... more

Download (27)

Digital Disinformation in Africa: Hashtag Politics, Power and Propaganda

Tony Roberts, George Hamandishe Karekwaivanane (ed.)

London: Zed Books (2024), xiv, 242 pp.

"In an era when hashtag campaigns like #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter capture global attention for victims of injustice, politicians and corporations are now spending billions employing Cambridge Analytica-type consultancies to manufacture disinformation - employing trolls, cyborgs and bots to disrupt ... more

Download (21)

Russian Media in the Balkans and their Role in the Aggression against Ukraine. Case Study: RT Balkan

Thomas Brey

Potsdam: Friedrich Naumann Stiftung (2024), 37 pp.

"The study presented here [...] is not limited to generalised theses and descriptions of the Balkan media scene under Russian influence that only scratch the surface. Rather, the focus is on documenting the effectiveness of Russian state media in the region with a focus on Serbia, which also has an ... more

External Link (103)

Google Scholar (95)

WorldCat (101)

Disinformation Debunked: Building Resilience Through Media and Information Literacy

Divina Frau-Meigs, Nicoleta Corbu (eds.)

London: Routledge (2024), 329 pp.

"The book highlights the underlying stakes that are involved in the fight against disinformation, from producing smart tools to generalizing their use beyond the journalistic profession. It considers the MIL theories and methodologies at work in the digital era, especially from the perspective of di ... more