News literacy and online news between Egyptian and Spanish youth: Fake news, hate speech and trust in the media

Samy-Tayie, Sally, Tejedor, Santiago and Pulido, Cristina News literacy and online news between Egyptian and Spanish youth: Fake news, hate speech and trust in the media. Comunicar, 2023, vol. 31, n. 74, pp. 73-87. [Journal article (Paginated)]

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English abstract

Exposure to harmful content, fake news, and hate speech, calls to question whether citizens are 'responsible' when it comes to their online news behavior. This exploratory study aims to positioning news literacy as a mediating factor toward fostering civic responsibility by investigating its role in enhancing youth's online news experience and preparing them against harmful content. News literacy is defined as a multi-structural construct with three main constituents: motivation, knowledge, and skills. The study's main goal is accomplished through delving into youth's online news experience, and assessing their level of news literacy through a mixed methods approach relying on focus group discussions as a qualitative method and survey as a quantitative method. The study is applied to a sample of youth from Egypt and a sample of youth from Spain, on whom comparative analysis is conducted. Findings reveal a positive correlation between news literacy and: the ability to identify fake news, the ability to identify hate speech, engagement with news, caring about the veracity of content before sharing, and motivation to seek news. Negative perceptions about professional news media's performance have been expressed by respondents from both countries, with the main justification being that news media are not fulfilling their role as should be.

Spanish abstract

La exposición a contenidos nocivos, noticias falsas y discursos de odio hace que nos preguntemos si los ciudadanos son «responsables» cuando hablamos de su comportamiento online. Este estudio exploratorio pretende posicionar la alfabetización periodística como un factor mediador hacia el fomento de la responsabilidad cívica, investigando su papel en la mejora de la experiencia de los jóvenes con las noticias online, preparándolos contra los contenidos nocivos. La alfabetización periodística se define como un concepto multiestructural con tres componentes principales: motivación, conocimientos y habilidades. Un objetivo del estudio es profundizar en la experiencia de los jóvenes con las noticias online, evaluando su nivel de alfabetización periodística mediante un enfoque de métodos mixtos que se basan en discusiones de grupos focales y en una encuesta. El estudio se aplica a una muestra de jóvenes de Egipto y a otra de jóvenes de España, a partir de las cuales se realiza un análisis comparativo. Los resultados revelan una correlación positiva entre la alfabetización periodística y: la capacidad de identificar las noticias falsas y el discurso de odio, el compromiso con las noticias, la preocupación por la veracidad del contenido antes de compartirlo y la motivación para buscar noticias. Los encuestados de ambos países han expresado percepciones negativas sobre la eficacia de los medios de comunicación profesionales, con la justificación principal de que los medios de comunicación no están cumpliendo su función como deberían.

Item type: Journal article (Paginated)
Keywords: News literacy; news; disinformation; social media; youth; media consumption; Alfabetización periodística; noticias; desinformación; redes sociales; juventud; consumo de medios
Subjects: B. Information use and sociology of information > BJ. Communication
G. Industry, profession and education.
G. Industry, profession and education. > GH. Education.
Depositing user: Alex Ruiz
Date deposited: 09 Jan 2023 12:29
Last modified: 09 Jan 2023 12:29
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10760/43881

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