‘Killer of trust’: social media groups fuel misinformation in UK, report finds
Summary
A new study found that social media groups in the UK spread a lot of false information, especially in places without reliable local news sources. Topics like immigration and Islam were common subjects of misinformation, which increased notably before local elections.Key Facts
- Areas with little or no local journalism had nearly three times more misinformation on social media.
- The study analyzed over 125,000 posts on Facebook, X, and Nextdoor.
- Misinformation about immigration and Islamophobia was widespread.
- False information increased by 56% before local elections, rising from 8.2% to 12.9% of news posts.
- Fake local government communications and false claims about councils were common.
- In Gorton and Denton, 6.5% of news posts contained misinformation during a recent election.
- Over 4.4 million people in the UK live in “news deserts” with no local news providers.
- Experts call for stronger online regulations to stop misinformation and protect the public.
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