Tag Archives: Democratic Audit UK

Essay in Democratic Audit on how people respond to coronavirus ‘fake news’

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I have had another op-ed published by Democratic Audit UK  on the coronavirus crisis. I discuss the early findings from research conducted by Pew Research Center and Ofcom investigating how people respond to misinformation and disinformation about the virus shared on social media. Despite some signs people are factchecking using official sources, I argue that we must not be complacent in our efforts to counter false information about the pandemic. Thanks to Alice Park for her help publishing this piece. It can be accessed here

Democratic Audit post on coronavirus ‘fake news’

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I have written a post for Democratic Audit on the spread of coronavirus ‘fake news’ over the past few months. I discuss how false stories about COVID-19 ‘cures’ can have deadly consequences, as seen in Iran where hundreds of people died after drinking methanol in the mistaken belief it would protect them from the virus. While conspiracy theories about the virus being a ‘biological weapon’ have emerged online, their impact should not be exaggerated. Instead, we should focus on the misinformation spread by political leaders such as Donald Trump, which is more likely to have an impact on the behaviour of citizens.

Thanks to Alice Park and the fantastic DA team for their help in publishing this. The post can be found here

Democratic Audit piece on social media and paramilitary-style assaults published

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Dr Faith Gordon (Monash University) and I have published an essay on the role of social media in combatting paramilitary-style assaults in Northern Ireland. In the piece, we draw on the work of the Stop Attacks Forum and Ending the Harm to explore how social media can raise awareness of these incidents. This is part of an ongoing project that Faith and I are working on – more details to come soon!

The post can be read here

Democratic Audit piece on journalists and ‘fake news’ in Northern Ireland

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I have published a piece on Democratic Audit UK that explores efforts to tackle mis-and disinformation in Northern Ireland. In the article, I explore whether the contextual factors associated with information disorder, such as declining trust in media and political institutions, are present in the ‘post-conflict’ society. Drawing on my research on the 2014 and 2015 Ardoyne parade disputes,  and my recent submission to the UK DCMS Fake News inquiry, I explore several examples of how journalists have debunked rumours and disinformation spread on social media about contentious parades and protests. I argue that the survival of an independent and free press within Northern Ireland is a pre-requisite for reducing the pollution of its information ecosystem.

The article can be accessed here

 

Blogpost on Kingsmill video row published on Democratic Audit

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I have published a piece for Democratic Audit UK on the role of social media in the Kingsmill bread video row, which culminated in the resignation of Sinn Fein MP Barry McElduff last week.  I argue that this incident illustrates how hybrid media logics operate in Northern Ireland, with professional journalists increasingly using social media such as Twitter not only to source stories, but also to hold politicians to account for what they post online. The post can be found here