PT

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER: TOWARDS A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO DIMINISH FAKE NEWS SPREAD AND SUSCEPTIBILITY

This project represents the first large-scale research effort in Portugal to concurrently investigate the accuracy (capacity of detecting fake news and distinguishing it from real news) and dissemination (or spread), of fake news, incorporating a comprehensive set of individual and socio-contextual factors to address these phenomena.

To reach this, a rigorously designed quantitative survey will be developed, incorporating a set of individual (e.g., sociodemographic, personality traits, cognitive biases, political orientation, mental conspiracy) and sociocultural (e.g., media and digital literacy, trust in sources of information) factors to address these phenomena. This survey will be disseminated within a large and representative sample (N > 2500) that extends across various age groups, gender and socioeconomic background. A qualitative approach will also be used, through focus group with crucial entities related to journalism that will help us to address relevant variables to incorporate in the survey.

Such evidence is fundamental to target particularly vulnerable groups with appropriate policy measures such as fake news campaigns and alerts that could, for instance, remind viewers and news consumers of potentially false information.

Activities

Activity 1: Selection of the photos
This activity involves selecting 50 online news items, both real and fake, to measure the susceptibility and willingness to disseminate fake news. The news will cover a variety of topics such as politics, health, and trivia. All items will be adapted to resemble Facebook posts to increase ecological validity. Selection will be done in collaboration with Polígrafo, Portugal’s leading fact-checking organisation. The goal is to build a realistic and diverse image set which will also form a public database for future research.
Activity 2: Focus group
Two focus groups will be held with key stakeholders from journalism, media regulation and academic fields. These sessions aim to discuss emerging themes in disinformation and understand how professionals conceptualise fake news and related terms. Participants will help identify the most relevant dimensions to explain susceptibility to and dissemination of fake news. The focus groups will also explore possible strategies to mitigate the phenomenon. Different entities will be invited to contribute with their expertise. Insights gathered will directly inform the design and content of the project’s national survey and will also be included in the final project eBook.
Activity 3: Construction and administration of the survey
The survey will be developed in two parts: (1) evaluation of manipulated news posts, and (2) measurement of individual and contextual variables. It will integrate insights from the literature review and focus groups. The goal is to assess both accuracy in detecting fake news and willingness to share it. The survey will be pre-tested and then deployed to a representative sample of 2.500 individuals across Portugal. It will explore factors such as personality, cognitions, conspiracy mentality, and political orientation. Feedback from stakeholders will guide the final version of the instrument.
Activity 4: Final conference
At the end of the project, a final public conference will be organised to present the main results and outputs. The event will gather academics, journalists, policymakers, and civil society. Key findings on the accuracy and dissemination of fake news will be shared. The goal is to translate research into concrete recommendations and policy implications. The conference will also showcase the news image database created by the project. It will be an important moment for dissemination, dialogue, and future collaboration. The event will feature the official launch of the project’s open-access eBook.