x
x
Disinformation is a hot topic worldwide. In only one week (observed period: 17 – 23 February, 2024) our media monitoring platform eMM Dart detected more than 232,000 mentions of the subject broadcast on selected TV, radio, web TV, and social TV sources.
With pro-Russia disinformation spreading wildly on the social media platform X – more than 1 million posts published every 2 seconds! - and via dubious website networks in many European countries, there is a big concern that this year’s European Parliament elections are at risk of being influenced by false information.
In parallel, there have been warning calls to keep an eye on disinformation campaigns in other countries around the world where elections are coming up and where the spread of false information is alarming, such as in the USA, India and Mexico.
Globally, governments agree: the growing volume of disinformation must be systematically tackled for it depicts a huge threat to the outcomes of electoral processes and, thus, to democracies and citizens.
Combating disinformation is one of the biggest challenges of our time. It is often subtle or inconspicuous, which makes its identification a complex task. For example, pro-Russia disinformation campaigns on social media included links to fake versions of well-know media sites and used fake accounts of European politicians like the German Foreign Minister to spread false or misleading information.
Fighting against disinformation is both a long-term process and an essential duty if we aim to protect citizens. One of the most fundamental tasks in this context is VERIFICATION. This is done at many levels and by several actors such as:
Their work is fundamental to provide people access to trustworthy information. However, due to their wide reach, the news media play a key role in publicly exposing disinformation.
Information verification is at the core of quality journalism and, thus, employees of legitimate news media are well trained to do exactly that before any information is published.
Therefore, media sources such as television and radio, as well as trusted digital media, provide a convenient way for the public to consume reputable information and verify sketchy news they have spotted on social networks.
As an example, our media analysis conducted with eMM Dart, which monitors international media 24/7 in multiple languages, showed how legitimate news media such as CNN or Al Jazeera shed light on various cases of social media disinformation campaigns regarding elections in Pakistan, news surrounding the Chinese government or deep-fakes and other AI-manipulated content disseminated via social media.
These legitimate news sources help disentangle the blur around specific events, facts, and data that many people encounter on social media every day and that are difficult for them to identify as false.
All in all, disinformation campaigns on social media sites are a serious threat affecting societies worldwide and therefore, a lot of media and information literacy work needs to be done here.
At eMM, we are very aware of the influence of fake news and disinformation and the damage that can be caused to entities worldwide. Therefore, we are constantly innovating and developing our advanced media monitoring technology with which our clients around the world stay informed and are able to verify information found on social networks such as X resorting to legitimate news sources.
If you want to find out more about our media monitoring services and the innovative features that come with our modern platform, we would like to invite you to a free consultation and demo – get in touch now!
You might also be interested in:
eMM Product Updates: Introducing AI-Based Summaries and Sentiment Analysis
Safeguarding Companies and Brands Against Misinformation through Media Monitoring
