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More knowledge is needed in the Swedish media about how the influence is going, according to the Media Institute Fojo at Linnaeus University in Kalmar, which trains journalists and works internationally. The recent debate on conspirators and hatred and threats in the wake of the pandemic has revealed shortcomings in the Swedish newsrooms, according to Faktajouren de Fojo.
The impact can have diverse purposes: economic, political, national or of a foreign power but also justified criticism of the authorities, according to Fojo. Many opinions expressed in the media lack transparency and sources, Fojo believes.
– Much of what I have seen has shown signs of naivety and ignorance about how influence is promoted and works. And sometimes I can also see a kind of fear of being touched by the media when it comes to opinions, that there may be fear of being accused of not allowing different opinions to be heard and that this would be a way of restricting the freedom of expression. says Annelie Frank, project manager for the fact-finding service at Fojo.
This week, the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency has described the influence of foreign powers regarding Astra Zeneca’s corona vaccine.
Ekot and Vetenskapsradion have recently reviewed the methods of a Facebook group with aggressive messages against people working in the fight against pandemics. And this weekend new demonstrations are expected in several countries against coronary restrictions involving various conspiratorial groups.
– That the media help to spread certain statements without question, I can see it as a problem. For example, I have heard statements that the pandemic does not exist and that health care has not been affected by the pandemic, and there are quite a few arguments against the media, says Annelie Frank de Fojo.
The agenda of conspiracy theorists It tends to generate mistrust in authorities, politicians, traditional media and research, according to Faktajouren de Fojo. Annelie Frank emphasizes that the risks when conspiracies spread are physical violence, that different groups begin to see themselves as enemies, and that hatred and threats silence voices.
Fojo believes that the media can more often avoid sensationalism and conflict, precisely what the forces behind influence are fighting for. The media must also be careful to mock and disparage conspiracy theorists and to examine how opinion is formed.
Journalists need to know to argumentation techniques used, such as so-called straw men and cherry picking, and fact-checking opinion material before publication, says Annelie Frank.
But Fojo also sees that more collaborations have developed across national borders during the pandemic with fact-checkers who, among other things, examine how different conspiratorial portrayals of society affect the debate.
