"We tend to blame "social media" for spreading the disinformation of the far right, ignoring the damage done by all the other media. There's the example of the UK to guide us here, how the BBC probably "got Brexit done" as much as Twitter or Facebook, if only by doing so many of the dreaded "vox pops"."
"These, apart from being boring, can have the perfect structure for any disinformation merchant as the interviewer feels obliged to give half the airtime to each side, without feeling the need to add that the side talking a load of cobblers about the evils of the EU is, indeed, talking a load of cobblers."
"Have you tried Focail and Conundrum? Daily word puzzles designed to test your vocabulary and lateral thinking skills."
Social media often receives most blame for far-right disinformation, but other media practices also cause significant harm. National broadcasters can amplify populist narratives through frequent uncontextualised "vox pops" that give emotive individual voices disproportionate reach. Vox pops tend to be boring and structurally conducive to false equivalence by obliging interviewers to split airtime without fact-checking. That obligation can allow misleading or false claims about political issues to be presented unchallenged. A separate note advertises Focail and Conundrum daily word puzzles that test vocabulary and lateral thinking skills.
Read at Independent
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