mediadev library

Fakecracia

Matías Ponce, Omar Rincón (eds.)

Buenos Aires: Biblos (2020), 288 pp.

Routledge Handbook of Conspiracy Theories

Michael Butter, Peter Knight (eds.)

London; New York: Routledge (2020), xx, 680 pp.

"Taking a global and interdisciplinary approach, the Routledge Handbook of Conspiracy Theories provides a comprehensive overview of conspiracy theories as an important social, cultural and political phenomenon in contemporary life. This handbook provides the most complete analysis of the phenomenon ... more

¿Qué hacer frente a las fake news?

Philipp Müller, Nora Denner

Potsdam: Friedrich Naumann Foundation (2019), 30 pp.

"Para contestar la pregunta de qué hacer frente a las “Fake News”, se prohíbe dar respuestas simplistas. El presente dictamen argumenta que borrar “Fake News” de las redes sociales no es una panacea. Todo lo contrario: Los populistas percibirían su eliminación como una confirmación de s ... us actitudes basadas en teorías conspirativas y verían otro motivo para criticar a las élites. También es probable que los usuarios más susceptibles en este sentido se retiren hacia lugares más apartados del Internet, con lo cual se refuerza la fragmentación de la sociedad. Por lo tanto, la Ley sobre la Exigibilidad Jurídica en las Redes (Netzwerkdurchsetzungsgesetz, NetzDG) es el enfoque equivocado. También los mensajes de advertencia que de manera generalizada marcan noticias como “Fake News” pueden desplegar efectos más bien negativos: Por un lado, estas advertencias en el News Feed caen fácilmente en el olvido, mientras que la noticia en sí se queda en la memoria del usuario. Por el otro lado, los usuarios pueden percibir advertencias generales en su News Feed como una intervención en su libertad de decisión autónoma y por consiguiente enojarse. Por lo tanto, es importante aplicar estos instrumentos con un enfoque hacia la responsabilidad propia de los usuarios. Las libertades de información y de expresión como libertades fundamentales son indispensables para el funcionamiento de las sociedades democráticas. Las medidas, ya sean dictadas por el Estado o desarrolladas por las propias redes sociales, tienen que tomarlo en cuenta. Por lo tanto, el dictamen recomienda las siguientes medidas: Promoción escolar y extraescolar de la competencia mediática para proteger contra influencias mediáticas nocivas y fomentar un espíritu crítico en el usuario. Utilización de mensajes de advertencia antes de difundir las “Fake News”. Esta medida hace un llamamiento a la responsabilidad de los usuarios, por lo cual tiene sentido. Fomento y cultivo de un diálogo sociopolítico respetuoso para evitar la formación de grupos a favor y en contra de las élites. Intensificación y coordinación de la investigación nacional e internacional sobre el uso de los medios de comunicación y el efecto de las “Fake News” para llegar a una evaluación final de los peligros y un tra bajo informativo eficiente." (Sinopsis, página 5) more

Fake News: A Global Epidemic. Vast Majority (86%) of Online Global Citizens Have Been Exposed to It, with Most (86%) Admitting to Having Fallen Victim to It

Toronto: Ipsos;Centre for International Governance Innovation (2019), 4 pp.

"The findings of a recent Ipsos survey conducted on behalf of the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) reveal that fake news is very much a global epidemic and that its impact is widespread. The poll of over 25,000 interviews in over 25 economies finds that well over four in five (8 ... more

Fake news as a two-dimensional phenomenon: A framework and research agenda

Jana Laura Egelhofer, Sophie Lecheler

Annals of the International Communication Association, volume 43, issue 2 (2019), pp. 97-116

"Based on an extensive literature review, we suggest that ‘fake news’ alludes to two dimensions of political communication: the fake news genre (i.e. the deliberate creation of pseudojournalistic disinformation) and the fake news label (i.e. the instrumentalization of the term to delegitimize ne ... more

Journalism and Truth in an Age of Social Media

James E. Katz, Kate K. Mays (eds.)

New York: Oxford University Press (2019), xix, 283 pp.

"This edited volume examines how the growth of social media and ancillary computer systems is affecting the relationship between journalism and the pursuit of truth. Experts explore how news is perceived and identified, presented to the public, and how the public responds to news. They consider soci ... more

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Fake News: Moderne Lügen entlarven und entspannt reagieren

Thorben Prenzel

Frankfurt am Main: Wochenschau-Verlag (2019), 174 pp.

"Thorben Prenzel stellt in seinem Buch die Triple-A-Methode vor, die eine einfache Handlungsanleitung für den Alltag bietet. Diese verständliche Schritt-für-Schritt Anleitung hilft Ihnen, gekonnt die richtigen Argumente zur richtigen Zeit anzubringen." (Verlagsbeschreibung)

The False Information Ecosystem in India

Spandana Singh

Tokyo: Toda Peace Institute (2019), 20 pp.

"Over the past few years, internet access and adoption in India has grown tremendously, giving Indians more access to the online information ecosystem than ever before. Today, India is one of the largest markets for technology platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook. However, the adoption of these t ... more

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Social Media and Social Change in Jordan: Opportunities and Threats

Diana Ishaqat

Tokyo: Toda Peace Institute (2019), 10 pp.

"The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has great humanitarian responsibilities towards a war-torn region. Deliberately referred to as a regional entrepreneurship hub, over eight million of Jordan’s citizens (86.4%) have access to the internet, and they produce more than half of the digital content avail ... more

Weaponised Information in Brazil: Digitising Hate

Diego Casaes, Yasodara Córdova

Tokyo: Toda Peace Institute (2019), 18 pp.

"In the last few years, the world information ecosystem has been flooded by the “fake news” phenomena, augmented by the widespread use of social media. The fragmentation and scale of the new communication tools help spread old ideologies, that uphold racism, homophobia, and oppression. This phen ... more

La posverdad: Una cartografía de los medios, las redes y la política

Roberto Aparici, David García-Marín (eds.)

Barcelona: Gedisa (2019), 185 pp.

Digital News Report 2019
Top Insights

Nic Newman, Richard Fletcher, Antonis Kalogeropoulos, Rasmus Kleis Nielsen (eds.)

Oxford: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (2019), 153 pp.

"Despite the efforts of the news industry, we find only a small increase in the numbers paying for any online news – whether by subscription, membership, or donation. Growth is limited to a handful of countries mainly in the Nordic region (Norway 34%, Sweden 27%) while the number paying in the US ... (16%) remains stable after a big jump in 2017. • Even in countries with higher levels of payment, the vast majority only have ONE online subscription – suggesting that ‘winner takes all’ dynamics are likely to be important. One encouraging development though is that most payments are now ‘ongoing’, rather than one-offs. In some countries, subscription fatigue may also be setting in, with the majority preferring to spend their limited budget on entertainment (Netflix/Spotify) rather than news. With many seeing news as a ‘chore’, publishers may struggle to substantially increase the market for high-priced ‘single title’ subscriptions. As more publishers launch pay models, over two-thirds (70%) of our sample in Norway and half (50%) in the United States now come across one or more barriers each week when trying to read online news. In many countries, people are spending less time with Facebook and more time with WhatsApp and Instagram than this time last year. Few users are abandoning Facebook entirely, though, and it remains by far the most important social network for news. Social communication around news is becoming more private as messaging apps continue to grow everywhere. WhatsApp has become a primary network for discussing and sharing news in non-Western countries like Brazil (53%) Malaysia (50%), and South Africa (49%). People in these countries are also far more likely than in the West to be part of large WhatsApp groups with people they don’t know – a trend that reflects how messaging applications can be used to easily share information at scale, potentially encouraging the spread of misinformation. Public and private Facebook Groups discussing news and politics have become popular in Turkey (29%) and Brazil (22%) but are much less used in Western countries such as Canada (7%) or Australia (7%). Concern about misinformation and disinformation remains high despite efforts by platforms and publishers to build public confidence. In Brazil 85% agree with a statement that they are worried about what is real and fake on the internet." (Summary, page 9) more

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The disinformation landscape and the lockdown of social platforms

Shawn Walker, Dan Mercea, Marco Bastos

Information Communication & Society, volume 22, issue 11 (2019), pp. 1531-1543

"This introduction to the special issue considers how independent research on mis/disinformation campaigns can be conducted in a corporate environment hostile to academic research. We provide an overview of the disinformation landscape in the wake of the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data scandal and ... more

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“Fake News” and Cyber-Propaganda in Sub-Saharan Africa: Recentering the Research Agenda

Admire Mare, Hayes Mawindi Mabweazara, Dumisani Moyo

African Journalism Studies, volume 40, issue 4 (2019), pp. 1-12

"Dominant narratives about the contemporary problem of “fake news” and cyber-propaganda have focused on how its evolution and manifestation has been closely linked with the rise of populist politics, digital capitalism, the transformation of the public sphere and structural weaknesses of liberal ... more

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CIGI-Ipsos Global Survey Internet Security & Trust 2019, Part 3: Social Media, Fake News & Algorithms

Ipsos;Centre for International Governance Innovation (2019), 213 slides

"1. Majorities around the globe say that social media has increased their ease of communications & access to information, but are mixed on its impact on civility. On balance, it is seen as a positive, but not without its problems. (slides 8-34). 2. Four in ten (44%) admit to being duped by fake news ... more

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Catholic Church and the Public Sphere: Dialogue, Respect and Freedom of Expression

Jordi Pujol, Cristian Mendoza (eds.)

Roma: Edizioni Santa Croce (2019), 156 pp.

"This volume brings together the lectures and presentations of the main speakers at the eleventh edition of the Professional Seminar for Church Communications Offices: Dialogue, Respect and Freedom of Expression in the Public Sphere, organized by the School of Church Communications of the Pontifical ... more

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Digitale Ethik: Leben in vernetzten Welten

Petra Grimm, Tobias O. Keber, Oliver Zöllner (eds.)

Ditzingen: Reclam (2019), 252 pp.

"Fake News, Kriegsroboter, Cyber-Mobbing – unsere zunehmend digitalisierte Lebenswelt stellt uns vor neue ethische Herausforderungen. Wie verhalten wir uns angemessen und legitim gegenüber all diesen Veränderungen? Nötig sind Regeln und Wertmaßstäbe, für die es vor kurzem noch keinen Bedarf ... more

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International Standards and Comparative National Approaches to Countering Disinformation in the Context of Freedom of the Media

Andrey Rikhter

Vienna: OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media;International Press Institute (IPI) (2019), 57 pp.