Disinformation in the Global South

by Herman Wasserman (Editor), Dani Madrid-Morales (Editor)

Overview

A timely and incisive exploration of disinformation and its impact in the Global South  

In Disinformation in the Global South, media and communications scholars Herman Wasserman and Dani Madrid-Morales deliver a unique and geographically diverse collection of perspectives on the phenomenon of disinformation as it manifests in the Global South. In many parts of the Global South, coordinated political disinformation campaigns, rumor, and propaganda have long been a part of the social fabric, even before disinformation has become an area of scholarship in the Global North. The way disinformation manifests in this region, and responses to it, can therefore be highly instructive for readers around the world. 

Through case studies and comparative analyses, the book explores the impact of disinformation in Africa, Latin America, the Arab World and Asia. The chapters in this book discuss the similarities and differences of disinformation in different regions and provide a broad thematic overview of the phenomenon as it manifests across the Global South. After analyzing core concepts, theories and histories from Southern perspectives, contributors explore the experiences of media users and the responses to disinformation by various social actors drawing on examples from a dozen countries. Disinformation in the Global South also includes:

• A thorough introduction to Southern perspectives on national histories, theories of disinformation, and research methods in disinformation studies
• Global case studies of cultures of disinformation, including ethnographic insights into how audiences engage with disinformation
• Comprehensive explorations of responses to online and offline disinformation, including discussions of news literacy and the management of disinformation

A valuable resource for scholars of disinformation everywhere, as well as senior undergraduate and graduate students in courses covering transnational or global perspectives to communication studies, Disinformation in the Global South is also an ideal reference for anyone studying or working in media or journalism.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781119715597
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	03/30/2022
Sold by:	JOHN WILEY & SONS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Herman Wasserman is Professor of Media Studies at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. He holds a doctorate from the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, and worked as a journalist before starting an academic career. He is a Fellow of the International Communication Association and Editor-in-Chief of the Annals of the International Communication Association and African Journalism Studies.

Dani Madrid-Morales, PhD, is Assistant Professor of Journalism at the University of Houston’s Valenti School of Communication. He received his doctorate in Media and Communication from the City University of Hong Kong. His research focuses on the intersection of transnational media studies, global political communication, and disinformation studies in East Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Table of Contents

Biographical Notes ix

Foreword xv
Guy Berger, UNESCO Director for Strategies and Policies in the Field of Information and Communication

Section 1 – Histories, Theories, and Methods 1

1 Contextualizing Fake News: Can Online Falsehoods Spread Fast When Internet Is Slow? 3
Edson C. Tandoc Jr.

2 Disinformation in Arab Media: Cultural Histories and Political Dynamics 15
Saba Bebawi

3 Manipulated Facts and Spreadable Fantasies: Battles Over History in the Indian Digital Sphere 26
Sangeet Kumar

4 Research Methods in Comparative Disinformation Studies 41
Dani Madrid-Morales and Herman Wasserman

Section 2 – Cultures of Disinformation 59

5 Noise in Kinshasa: Ethnographic Notes on the Meanings of Mis- and Disinformation in a Post-Colonial African City 61
Katrien Pype and Sébastien Maluta Makaya

6 Aliens, Spies, and Staged Vandalism: Disinformation in the 2019 Protests in Chile 74
Ingrid Bachmann, Daniela Grassau, and Claudia Labarca

7 Encountering and Correcting Misinformation on WhatsApp: The Roles of User Motivations and Trust in Messaging Group Members 88
Ozan Kuru, Scott W. Campbell, Joseph B. Bayer, Lemi Baruh, and Richard Ling

8 “Rumor Debunking” as a Propaganda and Censorship Strategy in China: The Case of the COVID-19 Outbreak 108
Kecheng Fang

9 Media System Incentives for Disinformation: Exploring the Relationships Between Institutional Design and Disinformation Vulnerability 123
Jose Mari Hall Lanuza and Cleve V. Arguelles

10 Lies, Damned Lies, and Development: Why Statistics and Data Can No Longer Confront Disinformation in the Global South 140
Jairo Lugo-Ocando and Alessandro Martinisi

Section 3 – Responses: Southern Perspectives 159

11 Online Misinformation: Policy Lessons from the Global South 161
Anya Schiffrin and Peter Cunliffe-Jones

12 Responses to Misinformation: Examining the Kenyan Context 179
Melissa Tully

13 How Three Mission-Driven News Organizations in the Global South Combat Disinformation Through Investigation, Innovation, Advocacy, and Education 193
Nabeelah Shabbir, Julie Posetti, and Felix M. Simon

Conclusion 210
Herman Wasserman and Dani Madrid-Morales

Index 221

Editorial Reviews

If you are a media and journalism student, an academic across most disciplines, including the health sciences, or someone who works in the fact-checking or disinformation space, this book is highly recommended for you.” - Yossabel Chetty, The Centre for Analytics & Behavioural Change, August 8, 2022

“All in all, the book is a very valuable contribution both to the field of mis- and disinformation studies and to communication research in the Global South.” – Global Media Journal, Vol. 13 No. 1 (2023): Spring/Summer 2023

“One of the merits of this excellent book is that its contributors offer practical solutions on how the infodemic can be confronted, such as coordinated campaigns for media literacy.” - International Journal of Communication 17(2023), Book Review 2448–2451

 

 

From the Publisher