"All six reports find that misinformation is prevalent, yet the channels used for distribution of such content are somewhat different. The misinformation landscape in Serbia, for example, is dominated by mainstream media outlets. Small misinformation websites simply cannot compete with “misinforma
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tion giants” like the tabloid newspaper Blic. In Bosnia & Herzegovina, mainstream media are also the main sources of misinformation. Among the alternative sources of misinformation, the most common are “anonymous, for-profit websites offering no true journalistic value.” The mainstream media in Hungary are also known as propaganda and misinformation channels. In addition to them, however, the Hungarian report uncovered large independent networks of misinformation websites. In Slovakia, misinformation websites are run by “multiple independent entities” whereas in Moldova, misinformation is spread through mainstream media and, distinctively, through Russian misinformation websites." (Introduction, page 1)
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"The study’s overall conclusion is that the Code of Practice has produced positive results. There is a consensus among stakeholders that the Code of Practice is needed. Since disinformation continues to be a widespread problem, the Code, its aims and activities are considered to be highly relevant
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. Furthermore, stakeholders consulted for the study also agreed that disinformation is a topic where the EU has an added value and where it should continue to lead and coordinate action. Despite differences in stakeholder views with regards to the effectiveness of self-regulation, there is widespread acknowledgement that the Commission is right in pursuing a dialogue with the social media platforms. There is also acknowledgement that the Code constitutes a first and crucial step in the global fight against disinformation. In this sense, the Code shows European leadership on an issue that is international in nature." (Executive summary, page 3)
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"We invited misinformation researchers to write a 250-word commentary about the research that they would hypothetically conduct if they had access to consenting participants’ social media data. The excerpts below provide concrete examples of studies that misinformation researchers could conduct, i
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f the community had better access to platforms’ data and processes. Based on the contents of the submission, we have grouped these brief excerpts into five areas that could be improved, and conclude with an excerpt regarding the importance of data sharing: 1. measurement and design, 2. who engages with misinformation and why, 3. unique datasets with increased validity, 4. disinformation campaigns, 5. interventions, and 6. the importance of data sharing. While these excerpts are not comprehensive and may not be representative of the field as a whole, our hope is that this multi-authored piece will further the conversation regarding the establishment of more evenly distributed collaborations between researchers and platforms." (Introduction)
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"The handbook is a consensus document that was created by an innovative process that involved a series of predefined steps, all of which were followed and documented and are publicly available. The authors were invited based on their scientific status in the field, and they all agreed on all points
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made in the handbook. We therefore believe that the new Handbook reflects the scientific consensus about how to combat misinformation. Read more about the consensus process. The Handbook distills the most important research findings and current expert advice about debunking misinformation and contains information about these topics available in four excerpts." (https://digitalcommons.unl.edu)
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"[...] the purpose of this paper is to highlight the main models and elements that media in Albania manifest regarding hate speech, propaganda and disinformation. The research focuses mainly on online media, as they are identified as the main carriers of disinformation and hate speech, with a few ex
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ceptions, but traditional media are also present. The analysis is based on previous research studies, interviews with experts, and public statements and case studies, but mostly on the direct monitoring of models that are identified as manifesting problematic elements in the framework of this research. The content monitoring was carried out in the period June–August 2020, and focused on several media outlets and social media networks, mainly on particular narratives and case studies. The paper does not intend in any way to single out particular media, programmes or individuals, but rather to provide an overview of the main tendencies regarding hate speech, propaganda and disinformation in Albanian media, and also identify ways of countering these narratives." (Introduction)
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"WhatsApp is a key medium for the spread of news and rumors, often shared as images. We study a large collection of politically-oriented WhatsApp groups in India, focusing on the period leading up to the 2019 Indian national elections. By labeling samples of random and popular images, we find that a
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round 10% of shared images are known misinformation and most fall into three types of images. Machine learning methods can be used to predict whether a viral image is misinformation, but are brittle to shifts in content over time." (Abstract)
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"With over 30,000 confirmed cases, Brazil is currently the country most affected by COVID-19 in Latin America, and ranked 12th worldwide. Despite all evidence, a strong rhetoric undermining risks associated to COVID-19 has been endorsed at the highest levels of the Brazilian government, making Presi
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dent Jair Bolsonaro the leader of the “coronavirus-denial movement” (Friedman, 2020). To support this strategy, different forms of misinformation and disinformation2 have been leveraged to lead a dangerous crusade against scientific and evidence-based recommendations." (Abstract)
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"Digitale Kanäle wie Youtube, Facebook oder Instagram, Künstliche Intelligenz, Fake-News-Vorwürfe und zunehmend fragmentierte Publikumsinteressen haben das Format Nachricht ebenso verändert wie das journalistische Handwerk und die Nachrichtenrezeption. Was bedeutet dieser grundlegende Wandel fü
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r Medienschaffende, Redaktionen, Sender und Verlage? Wie verändern Daten und Algorithmen journalistisches Arbeiten im Newsroom und mit welchen neuen Angeboten und Darstellungsformen wird experimentiert? Und was tun Redaktionen gegen Vertrauensverluste, Desinformation und Hass-Kommentare? Expertinnen und Experten aus Wissenschaft und Praxis analysieren in diesem Band den Wandel des Nachrichtenjournalismus." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"In diesem Buch werden in 18 Kapiteln Phänomene der Kommunikation im digitalen Zeitalter vorgestellt und die psychologischen Hintergründe anhand von wissenschaftlichen Theorien und Analysen erörtert. Viele Menschen sind verunsichert durch eine Medienwelt, die unausgewogen erscheint (Fake News, L
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genpresse), in der man durch Clickbait manipuliert wird und in der Social Bots bald nicht mehr einfach von echten Chatpartnern zu unterscheiden sind. Abseits aller Hysterie erhalten die Leserinnen und Leser Einblick in faszinierende Erkenntnisse der Psychologie, mit deren Hilfe sich die schillernden Phänomene der Kommunikation im digitalen Zeitalter besser verstehen lassen." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"Disinformation tactics and the responses in place to try to mitigate them online are changing rapidly. Organisations witnessing or targeted by disinformation therefore require a baseline understanding of the threats posed by disinformation and how to spot them while conducting their work. This tool
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kit sets out simple steps to do so. The toolkit lays out an approach that organisations can undertake to begin to track online disinformation on subjects that they care about. The process is intended to have a very low barrier to entry, with each stage achievable using either over-the-counter or free-to-use social listening tools." (Publisher description)
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"Research indicates that the reach of fake news websites is limited to small parts of the population. On the other hand, data demonstrate that large proportions of the public know about notable fake news stories and believe them. These findings imply the possibility that most people hear about fake
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news stories not from fake news websites but through their coverage in mainstream news outlets. Thus far, only limited attention has been directed to the role of mainstream media in the dissemination of disinformation. To remedy this, this article synthesizes the literature pertaining to understand the role mainstream media play in the dissemination of fake news, the reasons for such coverage and its influences on the audience." (Abstract)
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"Several studies analysed in this paper show that messenger services facilitate and exacerbate the spread of disinformation. Any solution must make allowances for the complexity with which information spreads. The case studies show that a lack of trust in government is a key factor in the proliferat
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ion of disinformation, as is an increase in nationalism and its epiphenomena, including racism, sexism and anti-semitism. Additionally, a general loss of trust in journalism poses a problem. The infodemic surrounding the novel coronavirus highlights the urgency of the topic. A nuanced and comprehensive discourse on disinformation is crucial, and it is no longer adequate to discuss disinformation as a problem predominantly concerning social media platforms and politics. Addressing the issue can only be achieved by a society as a whole: we need broad social discourse and cannot outsource the solution to social media companies alone. This paper includes six recommendations designed to provide guidelines for political decisions and as a basis for further discourse." (Executive summary, page 4)
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"As we can see, disinformation can be spread by ordinary responsible individuals with good intentions as well as by, dare I say, entire bot nations consisting of millions of active bot accounts that reach all possible audiences of any age, gender, and interests. And for any audiences that haven't be
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en reached yet, Google and Facebook services provide updates on the nation's browsing patterns that inspire more disinformation stories to trigger emotional response from Ukrainians or subvert the society as a whole. The situation gets worse when, instead of creating a clear and transparent information policy and fighting disinformation, government officials, public officers, civil servants, and decision-makers inadvertently become disinformation generators, and politicians spread false and speculative information. Political engagement of the Ukrainian society and continuous efforts to engage audiences in politics and divert their attention by fear mongering are embraced by bot armies that, either for money or interest, feed disinformation even to the people with basic critical thinking skills. The line between true and fake information becomes diluted as verification requires additional time and special skills." (Conclusion)
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"This report briefly examines the phenomenon of fake news in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in Anglophone West Africa. It specifically addresses the following areas: fake news trends; how the phenomenon has impacted the work of the media and the fight against the pandemic; measures taken so fa
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r (by government, media, development partners, others) to address the spread of the phenomenon; and recommendations on the way forward." (Page 1)
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"This article offers a scholarly review of the literature and research on journalism education and fake news from an international and a local (Croatian) perspective. The purpose of this paper is to examine the connection between the education for journalists as a scholarly and academic discipline (
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as well as a teaching practice) and the issues caused by fake news in the digital age of mass media. Based on a comprehensive critical conceptual analysis of the body of knowledge available on the subject, it was determined that there is a diverse discussion about the status of journalism education regarding fake news. In that context, fake news has so far been internationally researched from several angles – curriculum content, journalism students, journalism and media studies, journalism practice, media audience, etc. When addressing the issue of education of journalists and fake news, three streams can be singled out. The first and most voluminous one refers to the systematic formal or additional education regarding media and information literacy. The next one refers to various changes related to the higher education system for the education of journalists, but without any concrete propositions for system reconstruction or upgrading. The last one advocates providing additional professional education to employed journalists. From the local perspective, even though only two articles suggest journalism education as a solution for the problems caused by fake news, based on thorough research it can be concluded that fake news and journalism education are not yet topics of interest among communication scholars in Croatia." (Abstract)
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"In this systematic literature review, a study of the factors involved in the spreading of fake news, have been provided. In this review, the root causes of the spreading of fake news are identified to reduce the encouraging of such false information. To combat the spreading of fake news on social m
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edia, the reasons behind the spreading of fake news must first be identified. Therefore, this literature review takes an early initiative to identify the possible reasons behind the spreading of fake news. The purpose of this literature review is to identify why individuals tend to share false information and to possibly help in detecting fake news before it spreads." (Abstract)
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"This introduction to the special issue “Beyond Fake News: The Politics of Disinformation” contains four main sections. In the first, we discuss the major sociopolitical factors that have allowed disinformation to flourish in recent years. Second, we review the very short history of disinformati
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on research, devoting particular attention to two of its more extensively studied conceptual relatives: propaganda and isinformation. Third, we preview the seven articles in this issue, which we divide into two types: studies of disinformation content and of disinformation reception. We conclude by advancing a few suggestions for future disinformation research." (Abstract)
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"The HKS Misinformation Review is a new format of peer-reviewed, scholarly publication. Content is produced and “fast-reviewed” by misinformation scientists and scholars, released under open access licensing, and geared towards emphasizing real-world implications. All content is targeted towards
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a specialized audience of researchers, journalists, fact checkers, educators, policy makers, and other practitioners working in the information, media, and platform landscape. We review and publish high-quality interdisciplinary research that examines misinformation from different perspectives, from its prevalence and impact to the effectiveness of possible interventions. We currently publish six regular issues per year. We also publish special issues on themes of particular relevance curated by guest editors. Every other month, we distribute a bimonthly digest to our subscribers. The bimonthly Digests contain all articles published in the previous two months on the HKS Misinformation Review." (Our mission)
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