mediadev library

Filter

289

Sort by:

Direction:

Download (20)

Informing Hard-to-Reach Immigrant Groups about COVID-19—Reaching the Somali Population in Oslo

Jan-Paul Brekke

Journal of Refugee Studies, volume 35, issue 1 (2021), pp. 641-661

"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 ... more

Download (16)

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

Download (26)

Information Saves Lives: Addressing COVID-19 in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana and Peru

Internews; USAID (2021), 16 pp.

"Internews designed the HRSM Amazon project to provide adequate information about COVID to vulnerable communities. Each local partner maintained relationships with indigenous communities and remote sectors that received inadequate state health care, had high rates of mis/disinformation, and lacked i ... nformation about the pandemic. Partners adapted project activities to these communities’ needs, providing information in their native languages and supporting community members to lead fact-based content production. For some communities, these trainings offered their first experiences ever in producing communications materials, and partners ensured indigenous values directly informed content creation with an intercultural approach. Internews observed the project’s direct and indirect positive impacts on shifting perspectives of indigenous organizations. For example, SERVINDI reported that when they first conducted their health diagnosis, indigenous communities rejected the vaccine; however, the Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon River Basin (COICA) requested more vaccination information in their native languages following the campaign’s implementation. Similarly, communication narratives that placed traditional and Western medicine in dialogue helped communities consider alternative strategies for coping with the pandemic. Throughout HRSM Amazon’s 12-month timeframe, the project consistently evolved to adapt initiatives to community needs. To reach last-mile communities in Colombia and Guyana, for instance, partners stored audio on flash drives to play repeatedly over loudspeakers where internet was not available. The pandemic not only heightened the visibility of digital connectivity challenges, but it particularly amplified the health realities of the most remote indigenous communities ignored by the State. According to local organizations, health problems extend far beyond just COVID infections. Indigenous communities face limited medical presence or no medical supplies on a regular basis; for example, the Araona Territory previously lacked a health center nearby, so the population had not received medical attention for 15 years. CEJIS adapted its project activities to go beyond preventing COVID-19 transmission in the Araona communities, providing radio listeners and national media across Bolivia with health information and updates on the Araona situation. As the project concluded, HRSM Amazon partners left indigenous communities equipped with their own communication initiatives, such as communicator networks and informational podcasts that community members are now continuing to lead independently, setting them up for greater long-term connectivity and information access. Not only will communities be able to more effectively share information among themselves moving forward, but this greater visibility will also help the State understand primary needs among indigenous communities, create culturally relevant health information campaigns, and act with increased respect for indigenous autonomy." (Executive summary) more

Download (13)

Demystifying the COVID-19 Infodemic: Conspiracies, Context, and the Agency of Users

Iginio Gagliardone, Stephanie Diepeveen, Kyle Findlay, Samuel Olaniran, Matti Pohjonen, Edwin Tallam

Social Media + Society, volume 7, issue 3 (2021), 16 pp.

"This article presents new empirical insights into what people do with conspiracy theories during crises. By suppressing the impulse to distinguish between truth and falsehood, which has characterized most scholarship on the COVID-19 “infodemic,” and engaging with claims surrounding two popular ... more

Download (35)

Covid-19 und der Journalismus: Problemzonen im Verhältnis zwischen Wissenschaft und Öffentlichkeit

Markus Lehmkuhl

In: Corona: Pandemie und Krise

Bonn: Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (bpb) (2021), pp. 265-276

"Die Bedeutung, die dem Medieninformationssystem zukam, hat die amerikanische Medienwissenschaftlerin Sandra Ball-Rokeach auf eine knappe Formel gebracht: Je einschneidender Änderungen der sozialen Umwelt empfunden werden, desto wahrscheinlicher wird es, dass das »Medieninformationssystem« für p ... raktisch alle Akteurezur wichtigsten Ressource wird, diese Umwelt zu verstehen und in ihrsinnvoll zu handeln. Das wiederum ist so zu verstehen, dass mit Erscheinen des Virus auf der Bildfläche das Wirkungspotenzial von Medien mindestens kurzfristig enorm angestiegen sein dürfte. Das ist aus dieser Perspektive aber weniger den Inszenierungskünsten des Journalismus oder denen von Influencerinnen und Influencern zuzurechnen, als eben der großen allgemeinen Verunsicherung, die dieses Virus ausgelöst hat. Als Maß dieser Verunsicherung können die teilweise ganz erheblichen Reichweitengewinne für etablierte Medienorganisationen gelten. Die öffentlich-rechtlichen und privaten Informationsangebote des Fernsehens, praktisch die gesamte Presse – offline wie online – und auch das öffentlich-rechtlich organisierte Radio verzeichneten deutliche Zuwächse. In unsicheren Zeiten wächst der Bedarf an zuverlässigen Informationen, die man offenbar am ehesten bei etablierten und vertrauenswürdigen Anbietern erwartete. Dieses Verhalten bleibt allerdings gekoppelt an die Voraussetzung, dass man den genannten Medien dieses Zutrauen auch entgegenbringt. Der Anteil derjenigen, für die das nicht zutrifft, wird von einschlägigen Umfragen auf etwa ein Fünftel beziffert. Sie sehen das Mediensystem mit den Mächtigen im Bunde, zweifeln an dessen Unabhängigkeit und Akkuratesse. Da aber das Corona-Virus auch diese Gruppe verunsichert, dürfte auch sogenannten alternativen Medien ein vergrößertes Einflusspotenzial zuzurechnen sein. Die Medienabhängigkeit der Journalismuskritikerinnen und -kritiker dürfte sogar deutlich stärker ausgeprägt sein. Denn diese Gruppe muss ja nicht nur die soziale Unsicherheit bewältigen, die mit der Verbreitung des Corona-Virus zusammenhängt. Sie sieht sich darüber hinaus fortgesetzt dem Problem gegenüber, dass ihre Deutungen der Situation in Widerspruch stehen zur dominanten öffentlichen Meinung, die sich in den traditionellen Medien ausbildet. Und genau das befördert Unsicherheit und erzeugt fortgesetzt Bedarf, sich der Richtigkeit seiner Minderheitenposition zu versichern." (Seite 267-268) more

External Link (99)

Ill Advice: A Case Study in Facebook’s Failure to Tackle COVID-19 Disinformation

Aoife Gallagher, Macckenzie Hart, Ciarán O'Connor

London: Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) (2021), 34 pp.

"Despite detailed policies on mis- and disinformation and promises to enforce them, social media platforms are failing to tackle prominent groups and individuals who spread false claims about COVID-19 and vaccines online. Using the World Doctors Alliance1 as a case study, a group that has spread var ... ious problematic, false and conspiratorial claims about COVID-19 and vaccines, ISD found that 78% of the group’s 1.2 million online followers are found on mainstream platforms (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, TikTok) who claim to prohibit this kind of content. The Facebook pages of World Doctors Alliance members have a following of over 550,000 users, which increased by 13,215% between January 2020 and July 2021. Videos posted by these Facebook pages have been viewed more than 21.1 million times. These pages have accumulated a total of 5.77 million interactions since January 2020, with interaction rates increasing by 85% in the first six months of 2021 compared to the previous six months. Facebook posts mentioning the World Doctors Alliance or its members have attracted more than three million engagements on Facebook and are present in at least 46 different languages on the platform. ISD found that large proportions—often the majority—of the most engaged with content on Facebook mentioning the World Doctors Alliance or its members in English, Spanish, German and Arabic contained false, misleading or conspiratorial claims related to COVID-19 and vaccines. Organisations that are part of Facebook’s fact-checking program have debunked false claims made by the World Doctors Alliance 189 times since the beginning of the pandemic. Despite this extensive fact-checking effort, Facebook is failing to take decisive action on the group or its members. Facebook’s fact-checking program incorporates organisations from 115 countries, but there appear to be major gaps in fact-checking in non-English languages. ISD found minimal application of fact-checking labels across the four languages analysed, with lower application rates on posts in German, Spanish and Arabic than in English. Content that does contain fact-checking labels is still accumulating tens and sometimes hundreds of thousands of engagements." (Key findings) more

Download (27)

Six Ways to Incorporate Social Context and Trust in Infodemic Management

S. Ripoll, J. Cole, O. Tulloch, M. Schmidt-Sane, T. Hrynick

Brighton: Social Science in Humanitarian Action Platform (SSHAP) (2021), 5 pp.

"Building trust in public health authorities and epidemic response takes time and is an ongoing process. However, in the short term, mistrust can be mitigated by responding in contextually appropriate ways through meaningful community engagement: 1. Use social science to understand the socio-economi ... more

Download (18)

COVID-19 Vaccine Perceptions in Africa: Social and Behavioural Science Data, March 2020-March 2021

Social Science in Humanitarian Action Platform (SSHAP) (2021), 35 pp.

Download (27)

A intersecção entre desinformação, religião e pandemia: A atuação de canais religiosos no YouTube no contexto da COVID-19

Michele Goulart Massuchiu, Marcela Barba Santos

Tropos: Comunicação, Sociedade e Cultura, volume 10, issue 1 (2021), 30 pp.

"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 ... more

Download (24)

La radio indígena ante la pandemia de la COVID-19 en la Amazonía peruana: El caso de Radio Ucamara (Nauta, Loreto, Perú)

Espinosa, Oscar, Emanuele Fabiano, Leonardo Tello

America Critica, volume 5, issue 1 (2021), pp. 33-45

"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 ... more

External Link (117)

MENA Monitor: Arabic COVID-19 Vaccine Misinformation Online

Ciarán O'Connor, Moustafa Ayad

London: Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) (2021), 19 pp.

"Conspiracy theories about COVID-19 and the subsequent development and rollout of COVID-19 vaccines are rampant across Arabic-language Facebook pages and groups. They are also linked to a larger network of anti-vaccination websites, Twitter accounts and YouTube channels across the web. Researchers f ... more

External Link (116)

Google Scholar (94)

WorldCat (93)

Media and the Coronavirus Pandemic in Africa (Part Two)

Journal of African Media Studies, volume 13, issue 3 (2021), pp. 305-490

External Link (115)

Hygiene and Behaviour Change Coalition Project: Reach and Engagement Survey Somalia

London: BBC Media Action (2021), 4 pp.

"BBC Media Action is helping to reduce the transmission of the coronavirus in Somalia by using a media campaign ‘hello hope: bye bye COVID’ to encourage uptake of preventative behaviours. Informed by research we are challenging attitudes and beliefs around coronavirus transmission and encouragin ... more

External Link (84)

La confiance en berne: L’information sur la COVID-19 au cœur d’une crise multiple en Centrafrique

Laurette Sokambi de Padou

Arcata, Calif.: Internews (2021), 73 pp.

"Cette évaluation de l’écosystème de l’information vise à établir une compréhension des dynamiques de l’information dans le contexte des populations déplacées dans plusieurs localités du pays : Bangui, Paoua, Bozoum, Berberati, Sibut, Bambari, Ndélé, Kaga-Bandoro et Rafaï. Cette re ... more

Download (19)

WHO Public Health Research Agenda for Managing Infodemics

Geneva: World Health Organization (WHO) (2021), xii, 53 pp.

"The five research streams are listed below. For each stream, three top research questions were identified, resulting in a list of 15 top priority research questions for the public health research agenda for infodemic management. Further, we listed for each subcategory a second tier of important res ... more

Download (19)

Combating COVID-19 with ICT: Effective Practices and Policies in the Asia-Pacific Region

Incheon: Asian and Pacific Training Centre for Information and Communication Technology for Development (APCICT-ESCAP) (2021), 37 pp.

External Link (99)

Google Scholar (81)

WorldCat (91)

Sourcing Pandemic News: A Cross-National Computational Analysis of Mainstream Media Coverage of COVID-19 on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

Claudia Mellado, Daniel C. Hallin, Luis Cárcamo, Rodrigo Alfaro, Daniel Jackson, María Luisa Humanes et al.

Digital Journalism, volume 9, issue 9 (2021), pp. 1261-1285

"This article explores the uses of sources in coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic in social media posts of mainstream news organizations in Brazil, Chile, Germany, Mexico, Spain, the U.K., and the U.S. Based on computational content analysis, our study analyzes the sources and actors present in more t ... more

Download (29)

Digital tools and strategies in COVID-19 infodemic response: Case studies and discussion

Roman Chestnov et al.

Geneva: ITU (2021), 60 pp.

"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 ... more

Download (19)

Manual de comunicación para la vacuna contra el COVID-19: Una guía práctica para mejorar la comunicación de la vacuna y combatir la desinformación

Julie Leask, Angus Thomson, Doug Lombardi et al.

[authors] (2021), 21 pp.

Download (13)

Information Saves Lives: Tackling Rumors, Myths and Misinformation in the COVID-19 Outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Arcata, Calif.; Washington, DC: Internews; USAID (2021), 24 pp.

"In the Eastern DRC where the 10th Ebola epidemic was coming to an end, the advent of COVID-19 raised additional concern of dealing with two major health emergencies at the same time with implications for effective audience engagement, and compliance to public health measures. These concerns came ag ... more