https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5256-1964
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ABSTRACT
The article investigates how newspaper editorials address the “fake news” phenomenon concerning (1) the damages that mis- and disinformation pose to society and journalism; (2) the roles news organizations claim for themselves; (3) the communication agents mentioned; and (4) how media companies defend the field. We use content analysis to study 375 editorials published between 2017 and 2020 in three Brazilian quality-papers. Brazil is a relevant case since its media system and political institutions differ from those in the United States and Western Europe, leading us to understand metajournalistic discourses not necessarily seen in more stable environments. The results indicate that key political events (e.g., social security reform and presidential elections) became occasions for media organizations to publish more editorials discussing “fake news.” Harming democracy was the main problem caused by mis- and disinformation. The newspapers regularly identified themselves as victims of attacks from political authorities. The editorial texts reinforced journalism's expertise in crafting and providing credible information, but, at the same time, such newspapers avoided responding to external criticisms. More interestingly, the outlets used terms associated with mis- and disinformation to attack rival groups. Lastly, our codebook provides an original contribution to the field as it considers a wide range of variables, encouraging comparative studies.
Acknowledgments
Dr. Marques and Dr. Miola express their deepest gratitude to the English teachers and friends serving the VETP (MSU) and the Friendship House in East Lansing: Larry Woods, JoAnn Woods, Karen Carpenter, Mary Hennessey, Steven Stowe, Tom Almer, Dan Winter, Jen Garmon, Tim Miank, Paul Schleusener, and Marion Schleusener.
Disclosure Statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
13 OESP publishes three editorials daily, while OG and FSP publish two pieces per day.
20 https://opiniao.estadao.com.br/noticias/notas-e-informacoes,a-reforma-e-seus-inimigos,70002871282.
21 https://opiniao.estadao.com.br/noticias/notas-e-informacoes,a-reforma-e-seus-inimigos,70002871282.
31 https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/08/world/americas/brazil-telegram-disinformation.html?smid=url-share.
35 https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2018/02/folha-deixa-de-publicar-conteudo-no-facebook.shtml. In 2021 the newspaper returned to Facebook. https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2021/07/folha-volta-a-publicar-conteudo-no-facebook.shtml.