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Journalistic Fact-Checking of Information in Pandemic: Stakeholders, Hoaxes, and Strategies to Fight Disinformation during the COVID-19 Crisis in Spain

Author

Listed:
  • Xosé López-García

    (Novos Medios Research Group, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago, Spain)

  • Carmen Costa-Sánchez

    (Culture and Interactive Communication Research Group, Universidade da Coruña, 15008 A Coruña, Spain)

  • Ángel Vizoso

    (Novos Medios Research Group, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago, Spain)

Abstract

The public health crisis created by COVID-19 represents a challenge for journalists and the media. Specialised information in healthcare and science has turned into a need to deal with the current situation as well as the demand for information by society. In this context of increased uncertainty, the circulation of fake news on social networks and messaging applications has proliferated, producing what has been known as ‘infodemic’. This paper is focused on the fact-checking of journalistic content using a combined methodology: content analysis of information denied by the main Spanish fact-checking platforms ( Maldita and Newtral ) and an in-depth questionnaire to these stakeholders. The results confirm the quantitative and qualitative evolution of disinformation. Quantitatively, more fact-checking is performed during the state of alarm. Qualitatively, hoaxes increase in complexity as the pandemic evolves, in such a way that disinformation engineering takes place, and it is expected to continue until the development of a vaccine.

Suggested Citation

  • Xosé López-García & Carmen Costa-Sánchez & Ángel Vizoso, 2021. "Journalistic Fact-Checking of Information in Pandemic: Stakeholders, Hoaxes, and Strategies to Fight Disinformation during the COVID-19 Crisis in Spain," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(3), pages 1-15, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:3:p:1227-:d:489650
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Carlos de las Heras-Pedrosa & Pablo Sánchez-Núñez & José Ignacio Peláez, 2020. "Sentiment Analysis and Emotion Understanding during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Spain and Its Impact on Digital Ecosystems," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-22, July.
    2. Nicole M. Krause & Isabelle Freiling & Becca Beets & Dominique Brossard, 2020. "Fact-checking as risk communication: the multi-layered risk of misinformation in times of COVID-19," Journal of Risk Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(7-8), pages 1052-1059, August.
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    Cited by:

    1. Carmen Costa-Sánchez & Ángel Vizoso & Xosé López-García, 2023. "Fake News in the Post-COVID-19 Era? The Health Disinformation Agenda in Spain," Societies, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-13, November.
    2. Andreea Nistor & Eduard Zadobrischi, 2022. "The Influence of Fake News on Social Media: Analysis and Verification of Web Content during the COVID-19 Pandemic by Advanced Machine Learning Methods and Natural Language Processing," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-24, August.
    3. Andreu Casero-Ripollés & Jorge Tuñón & Luis Bouza-García, 2023. "The European approach to online disinformation: geopolitical and regulatory dissonance," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-10, December.
    4. Victoria Moreno-Gil & Xavier Ramon-Vegas & Ruth Rodríguez-Martínez & Marcel Mauri-Ríos, 2023. "Explanatory Journalism within European Fact Checking Platforms: An Ally against Disinformation in the Post-COVID-19 Era," Societies, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-16, November.

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