Quick Links #9: Fake News
Below you'll find a brief list of just some of the polio communication resources related to "Fake News" from The Communication Initiative for Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Hi Everyone and Happy New Year
It’s been a busy few months and I hope you will forgive the irregular timing.
This Quick Links focuses on 'Fake News' and why it is important to understand that it is more complex than inaccurate information that needs to be countered. It also needs to be understood as a process in which information is filtered and transformed through social media cultural spaces.
We hear a lot about 'Fake News' in the polio programme. It is often treated as synonymous with rumour and misinformation. Approaches to countering it most often focus on identification, removal and the propagation of accurate information. All of these are important but they miss some essential communication elements linked to the initial intent, circulation, and impact or amplification. The path that pieces of information follow from creation to consumption tells us a lot about why a particular online post moves from just another piece of information on the internet to something that is widely disseminated as fact that impacts decisions on vaccination. 'Fake News' is the outcome of a process in which information created for any number of reasons and with intent that can range from innocent concern to satire or espionage, is filtered, transformed and amplified during its journey through multiple social media spaces. Along the way this transformation reflects the needs and perceptions of the various types of social media it moves through. Some pieces of fake news gain prominence by this process while others remain niche or die without going anywhere.
Below are links that demonstrate the importance of understanding the source of inaccurate information, unpacking the intent of those that disseminate inaccurate information, and the need to understand the path through which information circulates as a way to understand why and how some social media environments tend to disseminate and amplify 'Fake News' more than others. Countering the beliefs and perceptions that social media 'Fake News' creates amongst some populations has to be based in a strong understanding of the sources, spaces, and processes of transformation.
A Field Guide to “Fake News” and Other Information Disorders
The guide explores the notion that fake news is not just another type of content that circulates online, but that it is precisely the character of this online circulation and reception that makes something into fake news. In this sense fake news may be considered not just in terms of the form or content of the message, but also in terms of the mediating infrastructures, platforms and participatory cultures which facilitate its circulation. In this sense, the significance of fake news cannot be fully understood apart from its circulation online. It is the register of this circulation that also enables us to trace how material that starts its life as niche satire can be repackaged as hyper-partisan clickbait to generate advertising money and then continue life as dangerous political misinformation.
This paper looks at the sources and impact of fake news and concludes that the source of misinformation is important. Dr Wakefield’s now infamous and retracted paper, which erroneously related the MMR vaccine with autism was published in a highly regarded journal and initially created widespread concern among health care professionals, is still widely quoted. But it has been kept alive by certain types of social media spaces such as those focused on complementary or alternative medicine (CAM) which contain a high concentration of anti-vaccination messages. People with an interest in CAM tend to be exposed to more online anti-vaccination content than those looking for mainstream health information. The authors warn that social media’s impact on decisions to vaccinate can be overestimated, but underscore that exposure to misinformation is not evenly spread. It is important to understand where fake news is concentrated, the level of exposure to anti-vaccination messages, and the legitimacy which users perceive these spaces to have.
Vaccine Hesitancy and (Fake) News: Quasi-Experimental Evidence from Italy
This paper analyses the impact on diffusion of misinformation on immunisation in Italy following a March 2012 ruling by an Italian court that there was a link between the MMR vaccine and autism. They track the movement of news coverage to the internet and track its diffusion and found that “after the court's ruling in 2012, larger accessibility to non-traditional media (via broader broadband coverage) led to a reduction in child immunization rates”.
A few other links that may be of interest:
The Ethical Journalism Network Definition of Fake News
Countering Fake News a Survey of Recent Global Initiatives
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Cheers
Chris
A note on Quick Links:
Quick Links is a small experiment from The Communication Initiative that might help those working for polio eradication in Pakistan and Afghanistan identify useful knowledge on issues the programme is facing. It is designed to be brief and not add too much to anyone's inbox. Each email focuses on an area of particular importance to the Pakistan and Afghanistan programmes and presents brief descriptions of three resources that may be of interest or use to those of you working in the country. The mailing list, by design, is quite small though anyone who's interested can send a request to cmorry@comminit.com and they'll be added to the list. We also welcome suggestions and requests for specific topics to be covered and/or resources to be identified.
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