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Charitable Instruction: Towards a Catholic-Thomistic Response to Misinformation

Wesley Kim D. Soguilon

Religion and Social Communication, volume 23, issue 2 (2025), pp. 474-496

"One of the problems the Philippines faces is the plague of misinformation, and this paper provides the groundwork for a possible Catholic-Thomistic response. In this work, the researcher attempts to answer the question of why Catholics need to solve this problem and what they can do to solve it. Th ... more

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Determinants of fake news diffusion on social media: A systematic literature review

Khurram Shahzad, Shakeel Ahmad Khan, Abid Iqbal, Omar Shabbir, Mujahid Latif

Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication (GKMC), volume 74, issue 7-8 (2025), pp. 2069-2092

"This paper aims to explore the determinants causing fake information proliferation on social media platforms and the challenges to control the diffusion of fake news phenomena. The authors applied the systematic review methodology to conduct a synthetic analysis of 37 articles published in peer-rev ... more

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Digital occupation: Pro-Russian bot networks target Ukraine’s occupied territories on Telegram

Yuliia Dukach, Iryna Adam, Meredith Furbish

Atlantic Council, July 16 (2025)

"This joint report from OpenMinds and the Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab) analyzes the activity of a network of 3,634 automated accounts that posted pro-Russian comments on Telegram channels between January 2024 and April 2025 targeting Ukrainian populations inside Russian-occupied territorie ... more

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Understanding Mis- and Disinformation in Nepal

BBC Media Action (2025), 10 pp.

"Social media dominates daily internet use, while use of traditional media is declining: overall, 7 in 10 Nepalis use the internet daily, with Facebook and YouTube being the most used platforms (63% daily usage for both). Among those with internet access, 80% are heavy users of social media, i.e., ... they go on social media platforms at least once a day. Only 40% use the internet for purposes beyond social media, such as online search and emails. Internet users are using TV and radio less. Only 24% watch TV daily and 19% listen to the radio daily. Sharing information is an emotionally driven and socially performative behaviour: content is often shared not for its accuracy, but for its emotional impact, shock value, or social appeal. People are motivated by a desire to entertain, impress, provoke, or find hope, making them less likely to question the credibility of what they share. Drawing on qualitative data, we identified segments of the Nepali population who differ by how they share information: • Exaggeration Sharers: This group will often amplify exaggerated claims in order to gain visibility. They will often share contents that may elicit emotional responses, such as crime and violence. When sharing it, they may add their own take on the issue to exaggerate it further. • Show-off Enthusiasts: Similar to Exaggeration Sharers, they choose to share content that makes them look important, ‘wanting to impress others’ and ‘seek praise’. This is particularly true when sharing may reach people they respect. • Controversy Seekers: This group seeks out explicit content such as the commonly highlighted Bhojpuri songs (typically mentioned in Madhesh), as well as celebrity scandals. Contents often shared by this group tend to have a negative tonality, including topics like ethnic and religious scuffles. • Bystanders: This group tends to use social media by watching and listening without interacting or sharing. However, they enjoy novel content (particularly religious and political content) that may become a topic of discussion within their social network. • Naïve Consumers: This group focuses their attention on content that seeks to give hope in the face of challenges such as unemployment and economic difficulties. However, they tend to be less aware of, or concerned with, implications of online sharing and privacy issues, indicating lower digital and media literacy." (Pages 3-4) more

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Checking the Fact-Checkers: A Global Perspective

Celine Yunya Song, Daya Kishan Thussu, Drew Margolin (eds.)

Oxford: Routledge (2025), xviii, 319 pp.

"Scholars from different regions, fields, and disciplines provide a unique global and multi-disciplinary perspective for understanding the landscape of fact-checking initiatives and formulating effective and context-dependent strategies. Drawing on diverse international case studies, the authors exp ... more

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Climate Disinformation in India: Subverting Indigenous Peoples’ Identity

Bangkog: Asia Centre (2025), viii, 55 pp.

"The report makes three key contributions: it identifies the main forms of climate disinformation in India, examines their specific impacts on indigenous peoples (IP) communities and sets out targeted policy recommendations for national and international stakeholders. First, four forms of climate di ... sinformation circulating in the media landscape in India are identified: one-sided coverage, where the media circulate disinformation by the state, by highlighting false ecological progress while omitting data on biodiversity loss, environmental impacts and displacement; promoting false climate solutions, like afforestation and green credit programmes, which are dubbed as climate action despite their harmful ecological impacts and effects on IPs; attributing environmental disasters to climate change, where state authorities deflect accountability for disasters arising from governance failures and poor infrastructure to climate change; denialism of climate change and its causes, which relies on the suppression of scientific data, promotion of anti-renewable myths and the institutional erasure of climate-linked mortality, thereby sowing doubt and enabling the deflection of accountability. Second, the report shows that the deliberate circulation of climate disinformation in the media subverts IPs’ rights and legal safeguards in favour of state and corporate interests in five critical ways: bypassing IPs’ rights to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) by deliberately spreading distorted information effectively marginalising IP voices from environmental decision-making; restricting traditional practices by promoting false state initiatives while claiming environmental legitimacy, thereby worsening climate adaptation and livelihoods; undermining IPs’ forest conservation efforts, through the reframing of unsustainable top-down conservation efforts as climate action, thus enabling the loss of biocultural diversity; forced evictions and deterritorialisation, often enabled by the misrepresentation of environmental data in judicial rulings under the guise of ecological progress; legal persecution, Intimidation and physical violence, where IPs and environmental defenders are subjected to both online harassment and militarised control in order to suppress resistance to state or corporate projects. Third, this report outlines a set of recommendations for action: United Nations (UN) bodies should conduct an audit of India's compliance with IPs’ rights, investigate how state and corporate disinformation facilitates violations and support the ratification of relevant international laws and conventions; the government should strengthen legal safeguards for IPs by providing greater technical and administrative support to effectively implement the Forest Rights Act, ensuring robust FPIC protocols in all climate and development projects; international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) should support Indigenous-led audits of government programmes, submit evidence of digital surveillance to UN bodies, and help establish rapid-response legal networks and community fact-checking hubs in IP languages; civil society organisations (CSOs) should establish a national database for eco-development displacements, offer mobile legal clinics for land rights and advocate for policies requiring IPs’ representation in environmental bodies; the media sector should expose data manipulation in official forest reports, establish Indigenous-language fact-checking and leverage public broadcasting to boost digital literacy and amplify community voices; technology companies should develop tools to detect disinformation targeting IPs, conduct transparent audits of algorithmic bias on their platforms and partner with CSOs to provide digital literacy and secure communication tools; IP communities should continue to document land-use violations using community mapping, file collective petitions to audit projects violating their rights and build alliances to establish Indigenous-owned media platforms to control narratives." (Executive summary, pages vi-vii) more

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Countering Misinformation in Political Reporting: Enhancing Journalistic Legitimacy

Stephen Cushion, Maria Kyriakidou

Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press (2025), 200 pp.

"This book examines how journalists should deal with the growing tide of political disinformation and public scepticism towards news media. Informed by the latest research from the UK and around the world, the book draws on a series of UK-based studies over a six-year period between 2019-2024, syste ... more

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Terms of (dis)service: Comparing misinformation policies in text-generative AI chatbot

Maria Giovanna Sessa

Eu DisinfoLab (2025), 8 pp.

"● In the 11 chatbots considered, references to misinformation vary (and sometimes are missing). Even when the term is mentioned, it is rarely defined. This is not uncommon: what some platforms call ‘deletion’, others call ‘termination’, though potential nuances remain unclear. Additionall ... y, it is unspecified who enforces practices, how long suspensions last, and what distinguished warnings, suspensions, and terminations. On another note, more stringent prohibitions generally focus on hate speech, highlighting the illegal nature of the issue. ● Overall, ToS violation detection and content moderation processes are unclear. Some platforms mention dedicated moderation teams and processes – typically a mix of automated and human reviews – but the details remain vague. There is no transparency regarding the resources invested in content moderation, including the number of personnel, their locations and language coverage, and the timeline for action. ● Given our focus on misinformation, we concentrated on content reporting. Nevertheless, it is evident that platforms prioritise reporting breaches of and vulnerabilities in their architecture over content-related concerns. ● Law compliance is usually referenced in broad terms as adherence to “all applicable legislation”. Platforms primarily emphasise privacy and data protection, the prohibition of illegal activities (with a particular focus on child protection), restrictions on reverse-engineering platform functions, and using the services for biometric identification. Notably, there is a perception that users bear greater responsibility for providing accurate data and avoiding platform abuse than the platforms themselves do in terms of accountability. This impression arises because the ToS are detailed regarding user obligations but more superficial about platform responsibilities. Uncertainty remains regarding platform incentives and their actual capacity to enforce these rules. ● Most platforms specify that fact-checking is the user’s responsibility as if trying to exempt themselves from liability related to providing false and inaccurate answers. However, it is worth noting that the general provisions of the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) require online platforms to remove illegal content expeditiously once they have actual knowledge of its illegality. ● If current platform approaches to misinformation already seem inadequate, there are valid concerns that the situation will deteriorate further. The cross-platform trend of dismantling safety policies and moderation teams reinforces these fears. Examples pointing in this direction include OpenAI’s decision to remove some content warnings on ChatGPT, and xAI’s introduction of “Unhinged Mode” in Grok-2, a beta feature described as intentionally “objectionable, inappropriate, and offensive, much like an amateur stand-up comic who is still learning the craft.” (Concluding remarks, page 8) more

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Fighting Misinformation: A Critical Look at Disinformation in Indonesia

London: BBC Media Action (2025), 10 pp.

"The research reveals that while digital platforms dominate Indonesia’s information environment, TV remains highly popular and more trusted than social media or the internet as a source of information. Trust in international media is notably low, while trust is higher in local outlets. Audience se ... more

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The Alternative Truth Kept Hidden From Us: The Effects of Multimodal Disinformation Disseminated by Ordinary Citizens and Alternative Hyper-Partisan Media. Evidence From the US and India

Michael Hameleers, Darian Harff, Désirée Schmuck

Digital Journalism, volume 13, issue 8 (2025), pp. 1351-1372

"The affordances of social media potentially amplify the effects of disinformation by offering the possibility to present deceptive content and sources in credible and native ways. We investigate the effects of two aspects related to the dissemination and modality of digital disinformation: (In)auth ... more

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Disarming Disinformation: Brazil
Deep Insights

Julie Posetti, Nabeelah Shabbir, Kaylee Williams (eds.)

International Center for Journalists (ICFJ); University of London, City St George's (2025), 35 pp.

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Global Communication and Propaganda

Richard C. Vincent

In: Global Communication: A Multicultural Perspective

Yahya R. Kamalipour (ed.)

Lanham et al.: Rowman & Littlefield (2025), pp. 153-198

"Propaganda involves the persuasive communication process to influence and convert individuals and the public at large, directly or implicitly, through the use of purposively chosen and partial, or even fabricated, disinformation [...] Regarding the understanding of propaganda, the first mistake is ... more

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How Strategic Information Operations Affect Peacekeeping: Two Case Studies from the Central African Republic

Naomi Miyashita, Zarine Kharazian, Laura De Backer, Kate Starbird

International Peacekeeping, volume 32, issue 3 (2025), pp. 414-456

"Strategic information operations – efforts by individuals or groups to shape public opinion using propaganda, rumors and facts – pose significant challenges to peacekeeping missions. These operations undermine trust, hinder communication with the public and complicate the implementation of peac ... more

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Disarming disinformation in the media: What works, what doesn't and why

Cambridge: Thomson Foundation (2025), 4 pp.

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El derecho a la no desinformación: Un nuevo derecho en Bolivia

Erick R. Torrico Villanueva

La Paz: Universidad Mayor de San Andrés (UMSA); Instituto de Investigación, Posgrado e Interacción Social en Comunicación (IpiCOM) (2025), 148 pp.

"Asumiendo a la democracia como un sistema fundado en la vigencia de derechos y leyes, este libro aborda el tema de la desinformación desde la perspectiva de los derechos humanos y, dentro de ella, de los que competen a la información y la comunicación, para bosquejar una estrategia inédita de e ... more

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Empowering Youth to Combat Malicious Deepfakes and Disinformation: An Experiential and Reflective Learning Experience Informed by Personal Construct Theory

Nadia Naffi, Mélodie Charest, Sarah Danis et al.

Journal of Constructivist Psychology, volume 38, issue 1 (2025), 22 pp.

"The potential to weaponize deepfakes is growing at an alarming rate. The study aimed to explore how education can help youth develop resilience to malicious deepfakes and the ability to counter disinformation, regardless of context. Sixteen youth between the ages of 18 and 24 participated in a 9-h, ... more

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Governing Misinformation in Everyday Knowledge Commons

Madelyn Sanfilippo, Melissa G. Ocepek (eds.)

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (2025), xiv, 278 pp.

"Governing Misinformation in Everyday Knowledge Commons delves into the complex issue of misinformation in our daily lives. The book synthesizes three scholarly traditions - everyday life, misinformation, and governing knowledge commons - to present 10 case studies of online and offline communities ... more

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Redefining objectivity: Exploring types of evidence by fact-checkers in four European countries

Regina Cazzamatta

European Journal of Communication (2025), 21 pp.

"Fact-checking journalism challenges procedural norms of objectivity by providing truth verdicts. By actively evaluating statements and online rumors based on evidence weight, fact-checkers aim for robust, scientific objectivity. Despite this trend, there is a lack of studies analyzing evidence type ... more

Encrypted Messaging and Extreme Speech: Policy Directions

Anmol Alphonso, Sérgio Barbosa, Cayley Clifford, Kiran Garimella, Elonnai Hickok, Martin Riedl, Erkan Saka, Herman Wasserman, Sahana Udupa

Munich: Ludwig-Maximilian Universität (LMU); Center for Digital Dignity (2025), 58 pp.

"The report highlights interventions in six main categories, namely: Platform governance; Mitigating digital influence operations; Supporting research; Strengthening fact-checking; Awareness raising and capacity building; Leveraging artificial intelligence responsibly. The recommendations highlight ... more

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Mapping the information integrity landscape in West Africa: An annotated bibliography

Zara Schoeder, Liz Orembo, Marie Batista

Cape Town: Research ICT Africa (2025), 26 pp.

"This annotated bibliography is organised into four sections. Section 1 demonstrates how disinformation emerges as the most prominent topic in the literature on information integrity. Several different kinds of agents of disinformation operate within West Africaʼs information sphere. These range fr ... om political actors and interest groups to foreign entities and social media influencers. Each exploits social fault lines to sway public opinion, particularly in the lead-up to elections and during conflicts. An organised network of influence narratives – which can sometimes be complex and include both local and foreign disinformation-for-hire merchants complemented by a network of informed but polarised citizens – forms part of the machinery of political campaigns. This machinery transcends elections to become a way of governance as governments continue to rely on it to deflect accountability and manipulate public discourse. Section 2 describes the events around which information disorders are promoted. During periods of political instability, elections, or armed conflicts, information disorders often emerge as key drivers of mass action. In these contexts, disinformation and hate speech are weaponised to incite violence, manipulate public sentiment, and deepen ethnic and religious divisions. Ethnicity and religion frequently become fault lines that disinformation campaigns exploit to divide communities and trigger mass actions such as violent protests, or for widespread voter manipulation. In the case of elections, disinformation is used to sway voter opinions by distorting candidatesʼ positions or spreading fabricated narratives about political opponents. Likewise, in conflict situations, armed groups and militant organisations may use information disorders to recruit new members by promoting extremist ideologies, spreading fear, or creating a sense of urgency. Politicians and conflict groups alike have learned to manipulate these divisions for their agendas, making information integrity a critical issue for social cohesion, democratic stability, and peacebuilding in the region. Section 3 covers literature on fact-checking as one of the measures to mitigate information disorders. Artificial Intelligence (AI) can scale up fact-checking efforts by detecting and scaling up the distribution of correct information. However, even using AI for fact-checking experiences significant limitations. For example, local languages make it hard for AI to detect disinformation and hate speech in all instances. When misinformation is shared on instant messaging platforms like Telegram channels it is also difficult for an ordinary user to detect. Section 4 covers media literacy as an antidote to information disorders, especially disinformation. UNESCO has been at the forefront of addressing information integrity issues in West Africa through its research and media literacy programmes. Recognising the role of accurate and reliable information in fostering peace, democracy, and development, UNESCO has sought to promote the importance of information integrity by partnering with governments, civil society organisations, and media outlets to combat disinformation. Additionally, UNESCOʼs media literacy programmes aim to empower citizens with the skills to critically evaluate and engage with information, fostering a more informed and resilient public.8 These initiatives are particularly important in an era where digital media plays such a significant role in shaping opinions and driving political discourse." (Introduction, pages 3-4) more

Disarming Disinformation: Brazil Deep Insights

Disarming Disinformation: Brazil
Deep Insights