When governments spread lies, the fight is against two viruses: A study on the novel coronavirus pandemic in Brazil

Abstract

Background: One of the challenges posed by the novel coronavirus pandemic is the infodemic risk, that is, a huge amount of information being published on the topic, along with misinformation and rumours. Around 100 million people in Brazil (50% of the inhabitants) are users of social media networks, and a substantial amount of false information about the disease circulates in these media. Objectives: In this study, we examine the agenda-setting, media frame and content of misinformation published on the topic. Methods: We analysed all pieces of misinformation published by the Brazilian fact-checking service Lupa Agency during six months of 2020. We used content analysis to classify the texts into categories, and three types of rumours were identified: Misleading content; fabricated content; false context. Results: We analysed 232 pieces of misinformation. Most were published on Facebook (76%), followed by Whatsapp, with 10% of total cases. Half of the stories (47%) are classified as real-life, that is, the focus is on everyday situations, or circumstances involving people. Regarding the type of misinformation, there is a preponderance of fabricated content, with 53% of total, followed by false context (34%) and misleading content (13%). Wrong information was mostly published in text format (47%). We discuss the influence that misinformation can have on the behaviour of the Brazilian population during the pandemic and how the media's agenda-setting is influenced by false information published on social media. Conclusions: This study shows that misinformation about COVID-19 in Brazil seem to help establish an agenda-setting in the country, and the media frame is aligned with President Bolsonaro's political position.

Dialectical Tensions of Sustainability and Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Tale from Latin America

“…The fact that misinformation is more reproduced than accurate information, leads to the phenomenon known as health misinformation which, in turn, causes infodemic risk [50] as significant amounts of rumors and inaccurate information on coronavirus rapidly circulates and makes difficult for individuals to discern about its veracity, relevance, and usefulness. The case of Brazil is illustrative as misinformation about COVID-19 in this country seems to have helped to establish a media agenda where fake news overlapped with misinformation (false information) and disinformation (information whose purpose consists of deceiving and confusing people) [51]. Health ministries around the world had to fine tune their communication strategies for vaccination because of the messages from various sources against the vaccine.…”

“…In addition to being based on myths such as those exposed above, these coronavirus narratives are also based on telling stories that are close to the vital world of social media users. In a study on misinformation about COVID-19 in Brazil, Biancovilli and Jurberg [51] found that half of the coronavirus stories in this country focus on everyday situations that involve actual people. Those narratives showed, for example stories about individuals who cured themselves by using chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine.…”