scholarly journals Fake News and Propaganda: A Critical Discourse Research Perspective

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 197-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iulian Vamanu
Keyword(s):  
Science Communication ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Literacy Practices ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Argumentation Theory ◽  
Critical Discourse ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Research Perspective ◽  
News Stories ◽  
Research Literacy

Abstract Having been invoked as a disturbing factor in recent elections across the globe, fake news has become a frequent object of inquiry for scholars and practitioners in various fields of study and practice. My article draws intellectual resources from Library and Information Science, Communication Studies, Argumentation Theory, and Discourse Research to examine propagandistic dimensions of fake news and to suggest possible ways in which scientific research can inform practices of epistemic self-defense. Specifically, the article focuses on a cluster of fake news of potentially propagandistic import, employs a framework developed within Argumentation Theory to explore ten ways in which fake news may be used as propaganda, and suggests how Critical Discourse Research, an emerging cluster of theoretical and methodological approaches to discourses, may provide people with useful tools for identifying and debunking fake news stories. My study has potential implications for further research and for literacy practices. In particular, it encourages empirical studies of its guiding premise that people who became familiar with certain research methods are less susceptible to fake news. It also contributes to the design of effective research literacy practices.

scholarly journals Fake News Mapping the Fakeness through Scholarly Output Lenses

2021 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 260-267
Author(s):  
Sheikh Shueb ◽  
Huma Shafiq ◽  
Sumeer Gul ◽  
Saimah Bashir ◽  
Farzana Gulzar
Keyword(s):  
New Media ◽  
Computer Science ◽  
Science Communication ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Library Science ◽  
Steady Increase ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Citation Score ◽  
Productive Author ◽  
Scholarly Output

The study attempts to map the trends across the scholarly publications published in the field of “Fake News.” Data were collected from one of the extensive indexing/abstracting services, Web of Science, the top indexing/abstracting service and a proprietary of Clarivate Analytics. The study reveals that the research on “Fake News” is mainly published as “articles” in English. Research on “Fake News” in terms of publication count and citation score shows a steady increase. “Lecture Notes in Computer Science,” “Professional De La Informacion,” and “New Media Society” stay as the prioritised platforms for researchers to publish their research. “Computer Science,” “Communication,” “Engineering,” “Information Science and Library Science,” and “Government Law” are the prioritised research domains in which research on “Fake News” stays a high priority. The highest number of articles are published from the U.S.A. The U.S.A., England, and Germany have the highest collaboration (links) with other countries, and the USA-China collaboration ranks first. Arizona State University is the top-ranked institute with the highest number of articles published on “Fake News,” and “Pennycook G” stays the most productive author. Six hundred ninety funding agencies support the funded research papers with The National Science Foundation N.S.F., U.S.A. as the top sponsor.

Can fake news really change behaviour? Evidence from a study of COVID-19 misinformation.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ciara Greene ◽  
Gillian Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Research ◽  
Health Behaviour ◽  
Real World ◽  
Empirical Data ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Behavioural Intentions ◽  
The Real ◽  
News Stories

Previous research has argued that fake news may have grave consequences for health behaviour, but surprisingly, no empirical data have been provided to support this assumption. This issue takes on new urgency in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. In this large preregistered study (N = 3746) we investigated the effect of exposure to fabricated news stories about COVID-19 on related behavioural intentions. We observed small but measurable effects on some related behavioural intentions but not others – for example, participants who read a story about problems with a forthcoming contact-tracing app reported reduced willingness to download the app. We found no effects of providing a general warning about the dangers of online misinformation on response to the fake stories, regardless of the framing of the warning in positive or negative terms. We conclude with a call for more empirical research on the real-world consequences of fake news.

THE USE OF CRITICAL THINKING AGAINST FAKE NEWS

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra-Niculina Babii
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Informal Logic ◽  
Critical Discourse ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Digital Era ◽  
The Social ◽  
Legal Sanctions ◽  
The One

The digital era has determined a very easy creation and propagation of fake news. As a consequence, it has become harder for people to fight this malicious phenomenon. However, the only weapon that can have results in this informational war is critical thinking. But who should use it? The creators of fake news that do this for different reasons? The social platforms that allow the circulation of fake news with ease? Mass media which does not always verify with much attention and rigour the information they spread? The Governments that should apply legal sanctions? Or the consumer that receives all the fake news, him being the final target? Even if critical thinking would be useful for every actor on fake news’ stage, the one who needs it the most is the consumer. This comes together with the big responsibility placed on his shoulders. Even if others are creating and spreading disinformation, the consumer must be aware and be careful with the information he encounters on a daily basis. He should use his reasoning and he should not believe everything just because it is on the Internet. How can he do that? Critical thinking seems to be a quite difficult tool to use, especially for non-specialized individuals. This paper’s aim is to propose a simplified model of critical thinking that can contribute to detecting fake news with the help of people’s self judgement. The model is based on theories from Informal Logic considering the structure of arguments and on Critical Discourse Analysis theories concerning the patterns found in the content of the information.

scholarly journals The virus of fear and anxiety: China, COVID-19, and the Australian media

2021 ◽  
pp. 205943642198897
Author(s):  
Wanning Sun
Keyword(s):  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
Critical Discourse ◽  
Commercial Television ◽  
News Stories ◽  
Commercial Media ◽  
Public Broadcaster ◽  
Fear And Anxiety ◽  
Radio Programs ◽  
China Threat ◽  
Entire Array

This article analyses Australian media’s coverage of China’s efforts to contain COVID-19. The article is a critical discourse analysis of the major news stories, documentaries, opinions, and analyses published in the entire array of Australian media, including both television and radio programs from the taxpayer-funded public broadcaster the ABC, commercial media outlets such as Murdoch’s The Australian newspaper and Nine Entertainment’s The Sydney Morning Herald, and several tabloid papers. By identifying the key themes, perspectives, and angles used in these reports and narratives, this article finds that the more credible media outlets have mostly framed China’s efforts in political and ideological terms, rather than as an issue of public health. In comparison, the tabloid media—including commercial television, shock jock radio, and newspapers—have resorted to conspiratorial, racist, and Sino-phobic positions. In both instances, the coverage of China’s experience is a continuation and embodiment of the “China threat” and “Chinese influence” discourses that have now dominated the Australian media for a number of years.

Constructing undesirables: A critical discourse analysis of othering of Fulani nomads in the Ghanaian news media

2021 ◽  
pp. 175048132098209
Author(s):  
Mark Nartey ◽  
Hans J Ladegaard
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
News Media ◽  
Public Debate ◽  
Critical Discourse ◽  
Analysis Framework ◽  
News Reporting ◽  
Media Attention ◽  
News Stories ◽  
Content Organization

The activities of Fulani nomads in Ghana have gained considerable media attention and engendered continuing public debate. In this paper, we analyze the prejudiced portrayals of the nomads in the Ghanaian news media, and how these contribute to an exclusionist and a discriminatory discourse that puts the nomads at the margins of Ghanaian society. The study employs a critical discourse analysis framework and draws on a dataset of 160 articles, including news stories, editorials and op-ed pieces. The analysis reveals that the nomads are discursively constructed as undesirables through an othering process that centers on three discourses: a discourse of dangerousness/criminalization, a discourse of alienization, and a discourse of stigmatization. This anti-nomad/Fulani rhetoric is evident in the choice of sensational headlines, alarmist news content, organization of arguments, and use of quotations. The paper concludes with a call for more balanced and critical news reporting on the nomads, especially since issues surrounding them border on national cohesion and security.

Creating Conspiracy Beliefs

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dolores Albarracin ◽  
Julia Albarracin ◽  
Man-pui Sally Chan ◽  
Kathleen Hall Jamieson
Keyword(s):  
Political Science ◽  
Science Communication ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Ideological Bias ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
Disciplinary Perspective ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
The Media ◽  
Information Sciences

Conspiracy theories spread more widely and faster than ever before. Fear and uncertainty prompt people to believe false narratives of danger and hidden plots, but are not sufficient without considering the role and ideological bias of the media. This timely book focuses on making sense of how and why some people respond to their fear of a threat by creating or believing conspiracy stories. It integrates insights from psychology, political science, communication, and information sciences to provide a complete overview and theory of how conspiracy beliefs manifest. Through this multi-disciplinary perspective, rigoros research develops and tests a practical, simple way to frame and understand conspiracy theories. The book supplies unprecedented amounts of new data from six empirical studies and unpicks the complexity of the process that leads to the empowerment of conspiracy beliefs.

scholarly journals The role of libraries in teaching doctoral students to become information-literate researchers

2019 ◽  
Vol 120 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 158-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon Ince ◽  
Christopher Hoadley ◽  
Paul A. Kirschner
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Digital Literacy ◽  
Literacy Practices ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Skill Sets ◽  
Types Of Information

PurposeThis paper aims to review current literature pertaining to information literacy and digital literacy skills and practices within the research workflow for doctoral students and makes recommendations for how libraries (and others) can foster skill-sets for graduate student research workflows for the twenty-first century scholarly researcher.Design/methodology/approachA review of existing information literacy practices for doctoral students was conducted, and four key areas of knowledge were identified and discussed.FindingsThe findings validate the need for graduate students to have training in information literacy, information management, knowledge management and scholarly communication. It recommends empirical studies to be conducted to inform future practices for doctoral students.Practical implicationsThis paper offers four areas of training to be considered by librarians and faculty advisers to better prepare scholars for their future.Originality/valueThis paper presents a distinctive synthesis of the types of information literacy and digital literacy skills needed by graduate students.

scholarly journals Advancing children’s news media literacy: learning from the practices and experiences of young Australians

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 689-707
Author(s):  
Tanya Notley ◽  
Michael Dezuanni
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Media Literacy ◽  
News Media ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Literacy Learning ◽  
Literacy Education ◽  
Fake News ◽  
News Stories ◽  
Media Literacy Education ◽  
Nationally Representative

Social media use has redefined the production, experience and consumption of news media. These changes have made verifying and trusting news content more complicated and this has led to a number of recent flashpoints for claims and counter-claims of ‘fake news’ at critical moments during elections, natural disasters and acts of terrorism. Concerns regarding the actual and potential social impact of fake news led us to carry out the first nationally representative survey of young Australians’ news practices and experiences. Our analysis finds that while social media is one of young people’s preferred sources of news, they are not confident about spotting fake news online and many rarely or never check the source of news stories. Our findings raise important questions regarding the need for news media literacy education – both in schools and in the home. Therefore, we consider the historical development of news media literacy education and critique the relevance of dominant frameworks and pedagogies currently in use. We find that news media has become neglected in media literacy education in Australia over the past three decades, and we propose that current media literacy frameworks and pedagogies in use need to be rethought for the digital age.

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