MAP-MISINFO · Considering Rurality and Religion: Mapping an Alternative Media Ecosystem and Addressing Gaps in Misinformation Research
Horizon Europe — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2024-06-01 → 2026-05-31
- EU contribution
- €230,774
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Considering Rurality and Religion: Mapping an Alternative Media Ecosystem and Addressing Gaps in Misinformation Research
Media research is crucial to combating information disorders impacting democracy, revealing sociotechnical systems impacting the spread of (mis)information---but there are gaps to address. For example, rural, broadcast media ecosystems used by largely religious populations are under-researched. Moreover, significant changes in political economy have deeply impacted journalistic institutions, whose work in liberal democracies has historically been relied upon to stave off information disorder. Qualitative inquiry can complement quantitative methods, providing insight into how societies navigate facts and falsehoods. In this context, the EU-funded MAP-MISINFO project investigates the particulars of (mis)information spread and adequacy of media research practices. The project’s case study, Utah, has high density of broadcast media, a stark rural/urban divide, and maintains one majority religion. This case study will be used to analyze and evaluate standard media research approaches.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
MAP-MISINFO is a proposal for a two-year European MSCA Fellowship at the University of Copenhagen (UCPH), within theDepartment of Communication (COMM). It proposes examining the intersection of misinformation, as a growing threat to democracy,and media research practices aimed at understanding information dissemination. As media research approaches are a key way tounderstand and potentially address misinformation, it is vital that media scholarship better account for gaps in practice—for example,around under-researched contexts such as rurality and radio. Another prevalent but understudied gap is how qualitative inquiry canbe used to in conjunction with common practices in ‘counting or categorizing’ instances of misinformation online; such approachesbetter consider the manifold ways societies navigate between facts and fabrications—what sociotechnical systems and contextsmight allow misinformation to thrive or be combatted. The MAP-MISINFO project will work towards filling both types of gaps througha two-pronged, interrelated research design. First, the project will engage in an empirical case study, mapping a misinformation-related topic as it moves through the open web and region-specific media ecosystems. The region of focus will be the rural,conservative, relatively homogeneous US state of Utah. This case study will serve to inform (and be informed by) the otherprong of MAP-MISINFO: a mapping and analysis of common media research tools used in examining misinformation. This secondobjective of the project entails carefully curated workshops of media scholars and publication overviews. The project will generate apublic-facing website, media appearances, peer-reviewed publications, a report for general distribution, and a special issue of a topCommunications journal. The host institution, UCPH, is uniquely positioned to provide methodological and theoretical guidance.MAP-MISINFO will also contribute to establishing my international academic career.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- KOBENHAVNS UNIVERSITET · KOBENHAVNCoordinatorDenmark
Links
- View on CORDIS
- DOI: 10.3030/101109725
- https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/documents/downloadPublic?documentIds=080166e519377aec&appId=PPGMS
- https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/documents/downloadPublic?documentIds=080166e52172ec08&appId=PPGMS
Data: CORDIS, © European Union