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Released on April 1st, the 33rd edition of the International Review of Information Ethics brings a Dossier on Combating Disinformation

The collective phenomenon of disinformation, structured in multiple dimensions – marketing, communicational and informational, educational, discursive, political and ideological, among others – has sparked reactions that aim to address the phenomenon from all sides, calling on scientists, researchers, journalists and professionals in several areas that jointly make an unprecedented effort to contain or at least minimize the worldwide harmful effects of disinformation.

According this edition organizers, Ana Regina Rego (UFPI/RNCD/CNPq-Brazil) and Esteban Zunino (CONICET-Argentina), both in ICIE administration board, the call focused on the profusion of intervention actions in the social fabric aimed at the Regulation of digital platforms; Actions and methods for digital monitoring; Critical research on technological neocapitalism; Artificial Intelligence and Information; Digital media education; Science communication; News verification/fact-checking; Actions to combat hate speech in all dimensions; Scientific and environmental denialism and Research on quality, diversity and pluralism of information in digital environments.

The IRIE`s 33 issue is the result of six months of evaluating the sent articles. Nine papers were reviewed and selected by peers, which make up a plural and diverse set, therefore providing a broad view of the spectrum of the disinformation phenomenon and its forms of identification, through multiple lenses. The selected articles cover a wide range of themes intervening in and parallel to the phenomenon of disinformation.

Opening the issue, the “Desinformação e competência crítica em informação: análise das relações na literatura científica brasileira” examines the relationship between “disinformation” and “critical information competency”. The use of critical information competency is highlighted as a promising knowledge that Information Science can offer for an interdisciplinary approach to combating disinformation.

The second article, “The role of social bots in the Brazilian environmental debate: an analysis of the 2020 Amazon Forest fires in Twitter”, explores the misinformative and computational propaganda used in Brazil and referring to the Brazilian environmental context, focusing on forest fires in the Amazon. The results are revealing of a practice that reverberates misinformative strategies that work on agendas contrary to environmental preservation, favouring both farmers, invaders and predators of the forest.

Next, the article “El hecho sub judice: el combat a la desinformación en la práctica periodística”, in which the authors analyze the first season of the program Apura Verdade, a service project linked to the Centro Universitário Internacional UNINTER and its role in combating disinformation. The empirical object, resulting from the combination of research and university service, is presented as an example of dialogue about contemporary journalistic practices, especially fact-checking.

The fourth article, entitled “Para além das fake news: breves apontamentos sobre a inteligência artificial imitativa”, addresses the growing impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on society, highlighting the ethical, social and legal concerns associated with the emergence of Deepfakes and the potential for manipulation by AI to create misleading content such as fake videos and images.

“Efficacy Analysis of Online Artificial Intelligence Fact-Checking Tools” is the next text. The article aims to analyse the operation of four fact-checking tools developed by artificial intelligence. Based on this objective, an intentional sample of political and scientific claims is established. The results show a significant consensus among the tools to determine the truthfulness, or lack thereof, of the events. Additionally, the study proposes a series of recommendations for the development of research on information checking with artificial intelligence tools that are of interest in the current context.

“Trust in Media and journalism credibility in the sea of misinformation” is the next article and its core point of reflection is journalistic credibility. The author argues that credibility is a prerequisite for journalism, as it is the trust given by the public to a particular media outlet that allows for its competitive distinction and social authority. The study proposes a Journalistic Credibility Index (ICJOR) based on criteria of editorial quality and production processes, aiming to strengthen professional information ecosystems and increase public trust in the media.

The seventh article is entitled “The Distorted Truth: Ustra’s Legacy in a Bolsonarist Brazil” and analyses the continuity of the reactionary discourse in Brazil, connecting it to the authoritarianism present in the military-corporate dictatorship and the ideology of Bolsonarism. Using as a basis the autobiographical work “A Verdade Sufocada” by Colonel Carlos Alberto Brilhante Ustra, former commander of DOI-CODI, and the military document “Orvil”, the study investigates the discursive similarities between the political movement led by Jair Bolsonaro and the ideological foundations of the dictatorial era.

The next work is “Hate speech and cancellation phenomena and the impacts on young people’s communication in digital environments”, in which the growing presence of the internet in daily life is discussed, as well as the concern about its uses. The authors draw on the experience of young people in the city of Salvador, capital of the state of Bahia in Brazil, to reflect on how hate speech and cancel culture inhibit the active participation of young people in the online public sphere.

The last article of the issue touches on the focus of the issue and addresses the political economy of music. Entitled “Political economy of music in the digital age”, the article discusses, in particular, the context of cultural and creative industries, highlighting the impact of technological changes and globalization on the production and distribution of music. The author emphasizes the contradictions present in the streaming business model as well as addresses issues related to intellectual property, licensing and governance in the music sector, highlighting the need for policies that recognize changes in the distribution and consumption of music in the digital context.

* IRIE is the official journal of the International Center for Information Ethics (ICIE). It envisions an international and intercultural discourse concerning the ethical impacts of information technology on human practices and thinking, social interaction, science, research and society.

To access the IRIE last edition, click here.

About the organizes of the 33^rd IRIE edition:

Ana Regina Rêgo: PhD, Communicational Processes (UMESP-BRAZIL). Post-Doctor, Communication and Culture (UFRJ-Brazil). Professor at the Graduate Communication Program (UFPI-Brazil). Coordinator of the National Network to Combat Disinformation -RNCD-Brazil. Researcher CNPQ-Brazil.

Esteban Zunino: PHD, Social and Human Sciences (UNQ-ARGENTINA). Post-Doctor, Social Sciences (UNC-ARGENTINA). Researcher at CONICET (ARGENTINA). AcademicVice Dean at Escuela de Comunicación de la Universidad ORT Uruguay.