Fake news and the 2019 general election

The 2019 United Kingdom general election was marked by concerns about the spread of misinformation and disinformation, particularly on social media. Here are some key findings and examples:

  1. Fake news and disinformation: A study by the University of Oxford's Computational Propaganda Project found that fake news and disinformation were widespread on social media during the election campaign. The study analyzed over 14 million tweets and found that 40% of tweets about the election were classified as "misleading" or "disinformation".
  2. Russian interference: There were concerns that Russia was attempting to influence the election through social media disinformation campaigns. The UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the US Department of Homeland Security both issued warnings about Russian interference.
  3. Social media companies' responses: Social media companies, including Facebook, Twitter, and Google, faced criticism for their responses to the spread of misinformation. They were accused of not doing enough to prevent the spread of false information and of being slow to remove harmful content.
  4. Fact-checking initiatives: In response to the concerns about misinformation, several fact-checking initiatives were launched during the election campaign. These included the Full Fact charity, which partnered with Facebook to fact-check political ads, and the BBC's Reality Check team, which provided fact-checking services to the public.
  5. Impact on voter behavior: Research suggested that misinformation and disinformation may have had an impact on voter behavior. A study by the University of Cambridge found that exposure to false information about the election was associated with decreased trust in institutions and increased support for populist parties.

Some specific examples of fake news and disinformation during the 2019 UK general election include:

  1. False claims about Labour's Brexit policy: A false claim that Labour's Brexit policy would lead to the UK leaving the EU without a deal was widely shared on social media. The claim was debunked by fact-checkers, but it continued to spread.
  2. Misleading claims about the NHS: There were several misleading claims about the National Health Service (NHS) during the election campaign. For example, a false claim that Labour would abolish the NHS was widely shared on social media.
  3. Disinformation about immigration: Disinformation about immigration was also widespread during the election campaign. For example, a false claim that Labour would allow unlimited immigration was shared on social media.
  4. Fake news about the Conservative Party: There were several fake news stories about the Conservative Party during the election campaign. For example, a false claim that the party was planning to privatize the NHS was widely shared on social media.

Overall, the 2019 UK general election was marked by concerns about the spread of misinformation and disinformation, particularly on social media. While fact-checking initiatives and social media companies' responses to the issue were important steps towards addressing the problem, more needs to be done to prevent the spread of false information and to promote media literacy.