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Social Media and the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Dilemma of Fake News Clutter Vs. Social Responsibility

Moez Ben Messaoud

Journal of Arab & Muslim Media Research, volume 14, issue 1 (2021), pp. 25-45

"This article examines the relationship between fake news and social media as increasingly important sources of news, at a time when mainstream media no longer have exclusive control over news production and dissemination. It has been evident that few media outlets and professionals tend to draw con ... flicting news about COVID-19 from social media feeds, which are largely produced by common citizens with mostly no journalism training. This pervasive use makes social media key sources to scores of media outlets for news, whether it is related to COVID-19 or public affairs issues, even though it is susceptible to torrents of credibility and accuracy issues. As a result, of the overwhelming spread of fake news on coronavirus, which is contributing to framing events from several angles, media professionals are now obliged to track and vet information circulating on social media. Due to the scale of disinformation spreading on the Web, it has become imperative that the credibility and accuracy of news is thoroughly verified. Media organizations have already been putting in place various mechanisms to monitor false news. This article will attempt to identify and assess these monitoring efforts in the Arab world. For this purpose, I have put together a list of Arab observatories launched on the internet in order to monitor fake news circulating in relation to COVID-19, and to discuss their methods of monitoring work, in the context of mobilization carried out by governments and many organizations such as the World Health Organization. This article is pinned down on social responsibility approach which helps pave the way the differentpropositions to combat fake news and avoid abuses in social media uses. This article proposes an evaluation of the monitoring initiative viaa- vis fake news and proposes a set of guidelines for improving the work of such monitoring bodies. Hence, this research reveals that social media outlets have diversified their goals to match the power of the conventional media in disseminating information and bringing up issues for debate. However, in the light of the framework of social responsibility, social media actors have to constantly develop a set of ethical practices to be observed by users, establish codes of conduct regulating content production, and lay down a code of integrity to assure accuracy in news and information transmission." (Abstract). more

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Media and the Coronavirus Pandemic in Africa (Part One)

Journal of African Media Studies, volume 13, issue 2 (2021), pp. 133-299

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Who Set the Narrative? Assessing the Influence of Chinese Global Media on News Coverage of COVID-19 in 30 African Countries

Dani Madrid-Morales

Global Media and China, volume 6, issue 2 (2021), pp. 129-151

"The size of China’s State-owned media’s operations in Africa has grown significantly since the early 2000s. Previous research on the impact of increased Sino-African mediated engagements has been inconclusive. Some researchers hold that public opinion toward China in African nations has been im ... more

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Covid-19 und der Journalismus: Problemzonen im Verhältnis zwischen Wissenschaft und Öffentlichkeit

Markus Lehmkuhl

In: Corona: Pandemie und Krise

Bonn: Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (bpb) (2021), pp. 265-276

"Die Bedeutung, die dem Medieninformationssystem zukam, hat die amerikanische Medienwissenschaftlerin Sandra Ball-Rokeach auf eine knappe Formel gebracht: Je einschneidender Änderungen der sozialen Umwelt empfunden werden, desto wahrscheinlicher wird es, dass das »Medieninformationssystem« für p ... raktisch alle Akteurezur wichtigsten Ressource wird, diese Umwelt zu verstehen und in ihrsinnvoll zu handeln. Das wiederum ist so zu verstehen, dass mit Erscheinen des Virus auf der Bildfläche das Wirkungspotenzial von Medien mindestens kurzfristig enorm angestiegen sein dürfte. Das ist aus dieser Perspektive aber weniger den Inszenierungskünsten des Journalismus oder denen von Influencerinnen und Influencern zuzurechnen, als eben der großen allgemeinen Verunsicherung, die dieses Virus ausgelöst hat. Als Maß dieser Verunsicherung können die teilweise ganz erheblichen Reichweitengewinne für etablierte Medienorganisationen gelten. Die öffentlich-rechtlichen und privaten Informationsangebote des Fernsehens, praktisch die gesamte Presse – offline wie online – und auch das öffentlich-rechtlich organisierte Radio verzeichneten deutliche Zuwächse. In unsicheren Zeiten wächst der Bedarf an zuverlässigen Informationen, die man offenbar am ehesten bei etablierten und vertrauenswürdigen Anbietern erwartete. Dieses Verhalten bleibt allerdings gekoppelt an die Voraussetzung, dass man den genannten Medien dieses Zutrauen auch entgegenbringt. Der Anteil derjenigen, für die das nicht zutrifft, wird von einschlägigen Umfragen auf etwa ein Fünftel beziffert. Sie sehen das Mediensystem mit den Mächtigen im Bunde, zweifeln an dessen Unabhängigkeit und Akkuratesse. Da aber das Corona-Virus auch diese Gruppe verunsichert, dürfte auch sogenannten alternativen Medien ein vergrößertes Einflusspotenzial zuzurechnen sein. Die Medienabhängigkeit der Journalismuskritikerinnen und -kritiker dürfte sogar deutlich stärker ausgeprägt sein. Denn diese Gruppe muss ja nicht nur die soziale Unsicherheit bewältigen, die mit der Verbreitung des Corona-Virus zusammenhängt. Sie sieht sich darüber hinaus fortgesetzt dem Problem gegenüber, dass ihre Deutungen der Situation in Widerspruch stehen zur dominanten öffentlichen Meinung, die sich in den traditionellen Medien ausbildet. Und genau das befördert Unsicherheit und erzeugt fortgesetzt Bedarf, sich der Richtigkeit seiner Minderheitenposition zu versichern." (Seite 267-268) more

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Konstruktiv durch Krisen? Fallanalysen zum Corona-Journalismus

Leif Kramp, Stephan Weichert

Frankfurt am Main: Otto Brenner Stiftung (2021), 96 pp.

"Unter dem Eindruck der Corona-Pandemie haben sich Medien nicht allein auf die Problemanalyse und Kritik an politischen und gesellschaftlichen Verhältnissen konzentriert, sondern den Blick auch nach vorn gerichtet, um zu fragen, wie politische, gesundheitliche, kulturelle und wirtschaftliche Risike ... more

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Slowing Transmission: Language Challenges in Community Radio Relay of COVID-19 Risk Communication in Afghanistan

Translators Without Borders (2021), 16 pp.

"In 2020 Internews launched the Rooted in Trust project to counter rumors and misinformation about COVID-19. They commissioned Translators without Borders (TWB) to map community radio stations and investigate the language and translation challenges community radio broadcasters face when relaying off ... icial COVID-19 risk communication to their audience. To better understand these challenges, TWB conducted a survey and interviews with 65 community radio broadcasters, representing a quarter of all community radio stations across Afghanistan. Based on our survey, we mapped community radio stations and the reach of each radio signal to estimate overall radio coverage across the country. Where possible, we triangulated our findings with data from Internews’ Information Ecosystem Assessment in Kabul, Kandahar, and Herat. Community radio stations remain an important source of information, especially for rural populations, less literate individuals, and in remote provinces. During public health emergencies, broadcasters can turn into health communicators and support the relay of risk communication, but they face several challenges. • Radio signals don’t cover all provinces: Based on the radio signals we were able to map, radio coverage doesn’t reach people equally across the country. Speakers of marginalized languages have especially limited access to radio broadcasts. Relative to population density, speakers of Turkmeni, Brahui, Balochi, and Uzbeki have especially limited access to radio broadcasts. • Few broadcasts are in languages other than Dari and Pashto: Dari and Pashto are the main broadcasting languages, but not everyone understands them. Broadcasts in other languages are largely limited to adverts, short audio clips, and sporadic language mixing in talk shows and call-in shows. Dedicated programs providing in-depth information in another language are rare. • Language barriers reduce the quality and timeliness of broadcasts: Community radio stations lack resources and translation capacity to broadcast in languages other than Dari or Pashto. As a result, some important information is delayed, and some is never broadcast at all. The quality and level of detail of broadcasts in other languages is also reduced. • Broadcasters face difficulties accessing available information: Most community radio stations have limited access to the internet and experience electricity failures. This makes accessing and validating available information on COVID 19 extremely difficult. Also, background information is often passed to broadcasters in English, but with limited internet access this information can’t readily be translated. • Information needs to be provided in plain language: Broadcasters don’t relay information that uses complicated language or technical and medical terms. New terms and complex new information around medical issues need to be rewritten and presented in plain language for a general audience. Yet community radio stations often can’t provide plain-language editing, so don’t relay more complex information." (Overview, page 1) more

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The COVID-19 Story: Unmasking China's Global Strategy

Louisa Lim, Julia Bergin, Johan Lidberg

International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) (2021), 7 pp.

"China has used Covid to benefit its global image through the activation of existing media dissemination channels overseas and the use of new tactics such as disinformation and misinformation. China’s largescale medical diplomacy campaign has also provided propaganda wins in many developing countr ... ies, burnishing Beijing’s image as a reliable partner. Anecdotal reports indicate that Beijing has stepped up its content offerings, in particular by tailoring content including disinformation for specific countries and translating state-run messages into local languages. In some countries, China was also seen as the purveyor of the most accurate information about the new coronavirus, showing its growing influence over global narratives. For Beijing, Covid diplomacy clearly offers another means through which it can exert its influence. This research shows that countries that are recipients of China’s Covid vaccine clearly have more positive coverage of China, but it cannot draw conclusions as to the factors behind that. This strategy has largely been acceptable to global journalists, who — judging by the results of our focus groups in three separate countries — do not perceive China’s advances as a threat at a national level. Such views are in part due to the incremental nature of the changes, the clumsiness of China’s propaganda effort and the irrelevance of much of the material provided to local audiences. However, the survey does reveal that when viewed globally, there does appear to be more concern about China’s influence, in particular in the Asia Pacific region. The survey indicates that the overall impact of Beijing’s outreach is a redrawing of the global media landscape — one story at a time, one country at a time — shifting the China coverage in a more positive direction. China is using a multi-pronged approach to redraw the information landscape to benefit its own global image. In 2020, Beijing effectively shut down journalistic access to China, through visa denials and freezes, partly driven by international border closures. This had the effect of creating a vacuum in China coverage, creating a demand for stories from China, which could then be filled with statesponsored content already available through content-sharing agreements." (Conclusions, page 7) more

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Health Communication and Disease in Africa: Beliefs, Traditions and Stigma

Bankole Falade, Mercy Murire (eds.)

Singapore: Palgrave Macmillan (2021), xv, 401 pp.

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Democracy and Fake News

Serena Giusti, Elisa Piras (eds.)

London; New York: Routledge (2021), xiv, 232 pp.

"This book explores the challenges that disinformation, fake news, and post-truth politics pose to democracy from a multidisciplinary perspective. The authors analyse and interpret how the use of technology and social media as well as the emergence of new political narratives has been progressively ... more

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An Ongoing Infodemic: How People in Eight Countries Access and Rate News and Information About Coronavirus a Year Into the Pandemic

Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, Anne Schulz, Richard Fletcher

Oxford: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (2021), 37 pp.

"In almost all countries, news organisations are the single most widely used source of information about coronavirus. Furthermore, news organisations have become even more central to how people stay informed about coronavirus in the last year because, while overall reach has declined compared to ear ... more

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Informing Hard-to-Reach Immigrant Groups about COVID-19—Reaching the Somali Population in Oslo

Jan-Paul Brekke

Journal of Refugee Studies, volume 35, issue 1 (2021), pp. 641-661

"This article provides a case study of an information campaign directed at people of Somali decent living in the worst hit district of Oslo, the capital of Norway. The Somalis were the immigrant group most affected by the COVID-19 in Norway during the first wave of the pandemic. The campaign used se ... more

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Reclaiming the Public Sphere in a Global Health Crisis

Hans-Jörg Trenz, Annett Heft, Michael Vaughan, Barbara Pfetsch (eds.)

Javnost: The Public, volume 28, issue 2 (2021), pp. 111-235

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Social Media and COVID-19: A Global Study of Digital Crisis Interaction Among Gen Z and Millenials

Ingrid Volkmer

University of Melbourne (2021), viii, 67 pp.

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Media and the Coronavirus Pandemic in Africa (Part Two)

Journal of African Media Studies, volume 13, issue 3 (2021), pp. 305-490

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La confiance en berne: L’information sur la COVID-19 au cœur d’une crise multiple en Centrafrique

Laurette Sokambi de Padou

Arcata, Calif.: Internews (2021), 73 pp.

"Cette évaluation de l’écosystème de l’information vise à établir une compréhension des dynamiques de l’information dans le contexte des populations déplacées dans plusieurs localités du pays : Bangui, Paoua, Bozoum, Berberati, Sibut, Bambari, Ndélé, Kaga-Bandoro et Rafaï. Cette re ... more

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Handbook of Communication and Development

Srinivas R. Melkote, Arvind Singhal (eds.)

Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing (2021), xvii, 397 pp.

"This incisive Handbook critically examines the role and place of media and communication in development and social change, reflecting a vision for change anchored in values of social justice. Outlining the genealogy and history of the field, it then investigates the possible new directions and obje ... more

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Comunicar el autocuidado: Pueblos indígenas frente al Covid-19. Periodo de implementación: Abril 2020 a marzo 2021

Internews; Centro de Internet y Sociedad (IUSR) (2021), 22 pp.

"El presente reporte se enfoca en el proyecto “Comunicar el autocuidado – Pueblos Indígenas frente al Covid-19", implementado en la Costa Caribe Colombiana, desde abril 2020 hasta marzo 2021. Por medio de este proyecto, Internews apoyó y fortaleció las capacidades de comunicación de las comu ... more

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The Road to COVID-19 Immunity: Building Trust and Combating Misinformation

International Rescue Committee (2021), 5 pp.

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COVID-19 Vaccine Perceptions in Africa: Social and Behavioural Science Data, March 2020-March 2021

Social Science in Humanitarian Action Platform (SSHAP) (2021), 35 pp.

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Happiness and surprise are associated with worse truth discernment of COVID-19 headlines among social media users in Nigeria

Leah R. Rosenweig, Bence Bago, Adam J. Berinsky, David G. Rand

Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review, volume 2, issue 4 (2021), 37 pp.

"Do emotions we experience after reading headlines help us discern true from false information or cloud our judgement? Understanding whether emotions are associated with distinguishing truth from fiction and sharing information has implications for interventions designed to curb the spread of misinf ... more