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Abstract
During emergencies, exposure to false information can increase individual vulnerability. More research is needed on how emergency management institutions understand the effects of false information and what are the various approaches to handling it. Our document analysis and 95 expert interviews in eight European countries – Germany, Italy, Belgium, Sweden, Hungary, Norway, Finland, and Estonia – show that approaches vary considerably: some have instituted central management of identifying and tackling false information while others prioritise the spreading of accurate information. A review of national practices and an analysis of recent crisis cases show that both approaches may be necessary. The diffusion of false information is strongly affected by the lack of timely and verifiable information from governments. We also find that in several countries, the emergence of false information is often associated with malicious foreign influence activities. Our study contributes to a better understanding of how the effects of false information are mitigated by the emergency management systems in Europe.
Keywords
Misinformation
False information
Information disorder
Vulnerability
Crisis communication
Emergency management
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© 2021 The Author[s]. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Social media is changing the way we get
our news fake news can be found embedded
in traditional news social media or fake
news sites and has no basis in fact but
is presented as being factually accurate
this has allowed hackers controls even
politicians to use the net to spread
disinformation online our children can
struggle to separate fact from fiction
thanks to the spread of fake news here
are some basic strategies to help them
develop critical digital literacy talk
to them children rely more on their
family than social media for their news
so talk to them about what is going on
read many people share stories who don't
actually read encourage your kids to
read beyond the headline check teach
children quick and easy ways to check
the reliability of information like
considering the source doing a search to
double-check the author's credibility
seeing if the information is available
on reputable sites and using credible
fact-checking websites to get more
information
get involved digital literacy is about
participation teach your kids to be
honest vigilant and creative digital
citizens fake news spreads
misinformation and anxiety among
schoolchildren but they are more
literate and resilient than you might
think if we give them the tools to tell
that foundation their digital literacy
will make the Internet a great place for
us all to find out what is going on in
the world
`{`Music`}`
The issue of “fake news” has been a dominant theme in the headlines for several years. How do we define a term that has come to mean so many different things to different people?
At its core, we are defining “fake news” as those news stories that are false: the story itself is fabricated, with no verifiable facts, sources or quotes. Sometimes these stories may be propaganda that is intentionally designed to mislead the reader, or may be designed as “clickbait” written for economic incentives [the writer profits on the number of people who click on the story].
However, it’s important to acknowledge that “fake news” is a complex and nuanced problem, one that is far greater than the narrow definition above. The term itself has become politicized, and is widely used to discredit any opposing viewpoint. Some people use it to cast doubt on their opponents, controversial issues or the credibility of some media organizations. In addition, technological advances such as the advent of social media enable fake news stories to proliferate quickly and easily as people share more and more information online. Increasingly, we rely on online information to understand what is happening in our world.