Debunking as a Method of Uncovering Disinformation and Fake News

Abstract

Journalism is about much more than just seeking and processing information. Multi-skilled journalists of the twenty-first century have to fulfil the given basic tasks and invest much of their time in verifying the affairs that are presented, and uncovering half-truths or false information. That is why all truly professional editorial offices pay attention to demasking, denying, or explaining disinformation in order to monitor and properly check the publishing activities of other media subjects. The chapter is focused on so-called debunking, a method of identifying disinformation, or rather a media genre that is associated with investigative journalism. The present study therefore aims to further explain why nowadays more and more media recipients express their trust in disinformation or various conspiracy theories. The outlined theoretical frameworks are followed by a discourse analysis in which the authors reflect on the current strategies of debunking applied by selected online news media. The text’s contribution to the contemporary scholarly discussions on journalism thus lies in defining various journalistic strategies associated with debunking, i.e., publicly uncovering false information that is disseminated in order to influence or rather manipulate the whole of society or at least its major parts.

Do conspiracy theories circulating in the media or their debunking affect people’s trust in the media?

“…Another possible explanation refers to people’s tendency to resist information and/or knowledge that is not consonant with pre-existing views and beliefs (Glüer and Wikforss, 2022). This, as scholars show, increases the risk of holding on to one’s misperceptions, even when media outlets provide correct, empirically based information (Kvetanová et al, 2021; Strömbäck et al, 2022). In other words, we suggest that when the huge amount of information that is available in high-choice media environments aligns with people’s former (conspiratorial) beliefs and values, efforts to correct it might be less successful, thus leading to decreased trust in the debunking source.…”

“…misleading, conspiratorial) news messages can have on perceptions, attitudes, and behavior toward the correct life-saving measures people can take to reduce their risk, such as accepting a vaccine, among others (Jolley and Douglas, 2014; Loomba et al, 2021; Romer and Jamieson, 2021, etc.). However, far less research has been devoted to studying whether and to what extent the circulation of conspiracy stories undermines people’s trust in the media (Jennings et al, 2021; Trent et al, 2022) and whether narratives that attempt to counter them might somehow foster a change in the (previously distorted) perception of a particular issue (Kvetanová et al, 2021), restoring trust in the media.…”

Disinformation Detection About Islamic Issues on Social Media Using Deep Learning Techniques

“…The manipulation of facts or the dissemination of outdated, incorrect, and unconfirmed information to perplex the audience and sway their opinion is referred to as "disinformation." Fake news, on the other hand, is often thought of as untrue information, about specific events, that primarily exists online [9]. The propagation of disinformation that targets the Islamic religion leads to the growth of hate speech against Muslims [10], which may cause damage to the reputation of Muslims and their interests and may also lead to a rift in the peaceful coexistence of society, of which Muslims are one of the components [11].…”