Review article
https://doi.org/10.22572/mi.30.1.2
Debunking Disinformation
Krunoslav Antoliš
orcid.org/0009-0002-6203-7522
; “First Croatian Police Officer”, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Republic of Croatia
Jurica Pačelat
; University of Zagreb
Abstract
Debunking disinformation is an extremely important process that involves detecting,
analyzing and providing correct information in order to correct and challenge false or misleading claims. When exposing disinformation, it is important to check the source of the information, and look for other independent sources to confirm or dispute the claim. It is necessary to identify the inconsistencies and illogicalities of this manipulative technique through content analysis. Fact checking and context checking with the necessary level of skepticism towards received information aims to share only verified information with others. Debunking disinformation requires time, research and critical thinking, as well as knowledge of software tools that can help you with this. It is important to be an educated consumer of information and to develop training programs for identifying false or misleading claims, so that one can engage in police work in a responsible and meritorious manner. The aforementioned was included in the research that aimed to examine attitudes, beliefs, and behavioral habits related to online disinformation among students of the College of Criminalistics and Public Security, as well as investigating potential predictors of these behaviors. The study involved 278 participants and utilized two newly created questionnaires, each comprising 4 subscales: (1) Disinformation Attitudes and Beliefs Questionnaire - impact of disinformation, purpose of disinformation, recognition of disinformation, and frequency of encountering disinformation; (2) Internet Behavior Questionnaire - protection against disinformation, security measures, negative online experiences, use of social media and online portals. The paper presents preliminary descriptive data gathered from the research, along with regression analysis results that yielded two significant predictors: individuals who are more likely to employ methods to safeguard their online privacy and security, and individuals who consider themselves better informed about dangers and ways to recognize disinformation, are more prone to use methods for fact-checking information. Based on the research findings, the paper suggests learning outcomes for designing a course focused on debunking disinformation.
Keywords
debunking disinformation; factual verification; context verification; content analysis; manipulative techniques
Hrčak ID:
318141
URI
Publication date:
24.6.2024.
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