FAKE NEWS: WHAT IT IS AND HOW TO DEAL WITH IT

• Published in: Sur : international journal on human rights Vol. 15; no. 27; p. 69
• Main Authors: Ribeiro, Márcio Moretto, Ortellado, Pablo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: São Paulo Conectas Human Rights 01.12.2018
• Edition: English ed.
• Subjects: Courts; Dissemination; Elections; False information; Judges & magistrates; Mass media; Meat processing; Media coverage; Narratives; News; News media; Partisanship; Presidential elections; Presidents; Public sphere; Regulation; Social media; Social networks; Social sciences; Tribunals & commissions; Voting; Brazil; New York; United States > US
• ISSN: 1806-6445; 1983-3342

The term "fake news" began to be widely used in the press coverage of the 2016 US presidential elections. There is much debate in the social sciences and communications fields about the applicability of this concept. We believe that the term "hyper-partisan media", which is used in part of the literature, provides a better understanding of the phenomenon. We also argue that it is important to understand that hyper-partisanship emerged as a result of the polarisation of the public sphere. In this article, we analyse the dissemination of hyper-partisan news one week before the judges' vote in the trial of former president Lula at the TRF-4 (Tribunal Regional Federal da 4a região, or the Federal Regional Court of the 4th Region). We show how the headlines of the stories that were shared the most on social media during that period fit into one of the two polarised narratives currently dominating the Brazilian public sphere. We conclude the article with an assessment of possible approaches to regulation on this issue.