In the Diversity Report 2020 of die medienanstalten, Prof. Dr. Uwe Hasebrink and Dr. Sascha Hölig write about social media, misinformation and its influence on opinion formation, comparing Germany, France, Great Britain and the USA.
You can download the complete Diversity Report 2020 free of charge (pdf, in German)
Abstract
For some time now, there has been a lively debate about false information circulating on the Internet. Especially in the context of information on COVID-19 and elections, their increasing spread can be observed. Even though established news media and content are often referred to as "fake news" by individual actors, the debate does not usually focus on traditional news providers. Rather, social media and online offerings that are more likely to be located on the political margins, so-called "alternative" media offerings, are suspected of disseminating false or misleading information.
Hasebrink, U.; Hölig, S. (2020): Soziale Medien, Falschinformationen und ihr Einfluss auf die Meinungsbildung. Deutschland, Frankreich, Großbritannien und die USA im Vergleich [Social Media, False Information and Its Influence on Opinion Formation. Comparing Germany, France, Great Britain and the USA]. In: die medienanstalten (ed.): Vielfaltsbericht der Medienanstalten 2020 [Diversity Report of the Media Authorities 2020]. die medienanstalten – ALM GbR, pp. 64-75.
