I was interviewed last week for an article that appeared in Saturday’s edition of the Yorkshire Post. As part of their special news report to mark the anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was asked to comment on the impact of misinformation on vaccine hesitancy, and the reasons why people may believe false information about the virus and its treatment.
The article can be read here. Many thanks to Geri Scott for her time and the interview.
I have an essay in Human:Putting the Social into Science on the role of online disinformation and US President Donald Trump in the violent scenes at the US Capitol Building last week. I argue that the pro-Trump mob are a manifestation of an information crisis fed by Trump, which has created an alternative reality in which the unsubstantiated claims of electoral fraud are believed to be true. I argue that political leaders should be wary of legitimising ‘fake news’ given that they may undermine trust in the institutions they purport to represent. Thanks to Laura Lightfinch and Victoria Wood for their help with this. The piece can be read here
I have had an article published in the most recent edition of France Forum. I argue that we all have a responsibility to verify information about COVID-19 before we share it online. I also suggest we should be wary of the misinformation about the pandemic shared by politicians, which has the potential to hamper efforts to flatten the curve.
Many thanks to Marc Foucault and Elisabeth Cazeaux for the invitation to write this piece. An English language version can be read below.
This morning I was interviewed by Toby Foster on BBC Radio Sheffield about the misinformation and disinformation about COVID-19 circulating on social media. We talked about how we as citizens should respond to false and misleading information online and how governments and social media companies might take stronger action to address it.
Many thanks to Toby, Katie and Robert at BBC Radio Sheffield for their help with this- enjoyed it!
The interview can be listened to here
Yesterday Cormac Lawler I took part in a podcast hosted by Rob Watson focussing on wellbeing and media during the COVID-19 lockdown. We discussed a wide variety of issues including what type of future awaits local journalism as we come out of the pandemic. Rob runs the excellent Media for Positive Social Change , which has some great podcasts, blogs and other resources about community media.
Many thanks to Rob for the invitation, and to him and Cormac for a really enjoyable chat!
The podcast can be access here
Delighted to be back in Leicester today for an ‘in conversation’ with John Coster as part of the Documentary Media Centre’s Reportage Club. We will discuss my ongoing work on digital media and political polarisation in Northern Ireland, in which I will draw on my work on information disorder and contentious parades and protests in the deeply divided society. Our session will kick off at 6.30pm in the DMM pop-up in Highcross (the unit opposite Costa Coffee on Shires Lane).
Thanks to John for the invite and also for sharing this reminder of my last appearance at the DMC- over 4 years ago!
I was recently interviewed for an article in Newsweek that discussed recent research suggesting that people who held delusional views were more likely to believe false news stories shared on social media. Thanks to Kashmira Gander and Hannah Postles for their help with this.
The article can be accessed here
This weekend I will be attending Locked out of Social Platforms: An ICS Symposium on Challenges to Studying Disinformation, at the IT University in Copenhagen, Denmark. Keynote speakers include Axel Bruns, Alice Marwick, Linda Dencik and Katrin Weller.
I will be presenting a paper entitled ‘Information Disorder in a deeply divided society: social media and contentious politics in Northern Ireland.’ It explores the continuities between the ‘propaganda war’ during the Troubles and the ways in which mis and disinformation circulates today through social media platforms. I will also discuss the media diets of citizens in the deeply divided society in order to explore resilience towards types of information disorder.
The programme for the symposium (which looks great!) can be found here
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
I have published an essay on the New Social Science, New Social Science? blog, which focuses on my work on how Twitter was used during the 2014 and 2015 Ardoyne parade disputes. Thanks to Franziska Marcheselli and the NSMNSS team for all their help with this. The post can be accessed here
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