Journalistic actions against the fake news: Maldito Bulo

Abstract

The definition of fake news goes beyond its immediate meaning, as Wardle (2017) expresses, it is a whole ecosystem of information that states that they are not created in the same way and intention. Th team of First Draft believes that to decipher them we must attend to three elements: the content with which they are created and difussed, the motivations of those who generate them and the ways in which they are disclosed.
The fake news disturbs the institutions, leading them to take action. The European Commission has approved a Code of Good Practices and has set up a High Level group, made up of 39 experts, to advise on how to deal with this problem. Communication professionals are also participating in its eradication. In order to tackle a viral canard, a denial that is equally viral must be promoted. The solution lies in a participatory citizenship and in its formation, and not in restrictive legislation.
This investigation will focus on the actions of Maldito Bulo. The fake news detected by the Spanish journalist who run this platform will be quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed, the objective is to know both the contents and the motivations that they contain.