Desinformación en España un año después de la COVID-19. Análisis de las verificaciones de Newtral y Maldita

Ana Almansa-Martínez; María Jesús Fernández-Torres; Leticia Rodríguez-Fernández

doi:10.4185/RLCS-2022-1538

Authors

Ana Almansa-Martínez Universidad de Málaga
María Jesús Fernández-Torres Universidad de Málaga
Leticia Rodríguez-Fernández Universidad de Cádiz

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4185/RLCS-2022-1538

Keywords:

fake news, disinformation, verification, infodemic, COVID-19, Spain, social networks.

Abstract

Introduction. One year after the beginning of the state of alarm in Spain, a study has been carried out to check the situation of fake news. Methodology. A content analysis of all the checks made by the fact checking platforms Maldito Bulo and Newtral during the month of the anniversary (March 14 to April 14, 2021) has been carried out. In total, 255 fact checks were analyzed. Results. The fake news that are spreading the most are related to the political debate, beyond the pandemic. The most disseminated content related to the health crisis are linked to vaccines and the vaccination process. Almost a quarter of the hoaxes have the Spanish Government, regional governments and other institutions as protagonists, with the Spanish Executive being the most commented. On the other hand, half of the false information detected has been created by people who are not socially known or whose identity is unknown, as well as by the media and opposition parties. Conclusions and Discussion. We found that fake news about COVID-19 account one year later for a little more than a quarter of all existing hoaxes, which is a clear decrease compared to the first months of the pandemic. Fake news continues to be spread especially by Twitter and WhatsApp

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Author Biographies

Ana Almansa-Martínez, Universidad de Málaga

Introduction. One year after the beginning of the state of alarm in Spain, a study has been carried out to check the situation of fake news. Methodology. A content analysis of all the checks made by the fact-checking platforms Maldito Bulo and Newtral during the month of the anniversary (March 14 to April 14, 2021) has been carried out. In total, 255 fact checks were analyzed. Results. The fake news stories that are spreading the most are related to the political debate, beyond the pandemic. The most disseminated content related to the health crisis is linked to vaccines and the vaccination process. Almost a quarter of the hoaxes have the Spanish Government, regional governments, and other institutions as protagonists, with the Spanish Executive being the most commented. On the other hand, half of the false information detected has been created by people who are not socially known or whose identity is unknown, as well as by the media and opposition parties. Conclusions and Discussion. We found that fake news stories about COVID-19 account one year later for a little more than a quarter of all existing hoaxes, which is a clear decrease compared to the first months of the pandemic. Fake news continues to be spread especially by Twitter and WhatsApp.

María Jesús Fernández-Torres, Universidad de Málaga

Associate Professor. She was the youngest person to obtain a Ph.D. in Spain. Assistant Technician in Protocol. Career civil servant on leave of absence (High Schools). She has worked at Europa Press. She is the author of five books on topics of political communication, social movements, and protocol in prestigious publishers: Las Relaciones Públicas como gestión de la comunicación en los movimientos sociales. Análisis de la estrategia comunicativa de las ONG en España (2005); Movimientos sociales y acción colectiva: Pasado y presente (2015), Protocolo y Relaciones Públicas (2015); Protocolo de bolsillo: las reglas de oro (2019); Atención al cliente, consumidor y usuario (2020). She is a researcher in national and regional projects on communication and journalism. She is an evaluator in national and international journals. She is the Secretary of the Revista Internacional de Relaciones Públicas.

Leticia Rodríguez-Fernández, Universidad de Cádiz

Assistant Professor in the Department of Marketing and Communication of the Universidad de Cádiz. She previously directed the Degree in Corporate Communication, Protocol, and Event Organization at Universidad Nebrija and worked in various communication departments and public relations agencies. She is the author of the book Propaganda Digital. Comunicación en tiempos de desinformación (UOC, 2021). Ph.D. in Information Sciences (Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 2012), Master's Degree in Protocol (Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, 2019), Master's Degree in Communication of Public and Political Institutions (UCM, 2008), and Bachelor’s Degree in Advertising and Public Relations (Universidad de Valladolid, 2007). Her lines of research focus on corporate communication, digital influence, and the study of propaganda and misinformation.

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