Italy, Italian Digital Media Observatory (IDMO)(2023), Misinformation on the conflict between Israel and Hamas spreads antisemitism and islamophobia, and tries to undermine support to Ukraine (La disinformazione sul conflitto tra Israele e Hamas diffonde

Country

Italy

Title

Italy, Italian Digital Media Observatory (IDMO)(2023), Misinformation on the conflict between Israel and Hamas spreads antisemitism and islamophobia, and tries to undermine support to Ukraine (La disinformazione sul conflitto tra Israele e Hamas diffonde antisemitismo e islamofobia, e prova a minare il sostegno all’Ucraina).

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Year

2023

Publication type

Report - unofficial (CSO) data on incidents

Geographical coverage

National

Area/location of interest

Not applicable - national level

Type of Institution

Civil Society Organisation

Institution

Italy, Italian Digital Media Observatory (IDMO)

Thematic focus

Other

Groups

Religious minorities

Key findings

The report maps five Italian editorial projects that published fact-checking content in 2023, resulting into a total of 226 fact-checking articles as of November 2023. Of these, 83 (36.7%) were about disinformation concerning the 7 October Hamas attacks against Israel and the war that ensued in Gaza, 10 (4.4%) the war in Ukraine, 13 (5.7%) the pandemic, 7 (3%) climate change, 9 (3.9%) the European Union, 4 (1.7%) immigration and 1 (0.5%) gender or LGBTIQ+ issues. With the 7 October Hamas attacks against Israel and the war that ensued in Gaza, disinformation cases concerning Israel and Palestine have increased. Several false stories were disseminated, aimed at exaggerating the already criticised actions of the Israeli army, to de-humanise Israelis (including children) and to polarise the debate on the crisis, amplifying anti-Muslim or antisemitic content.

Methodology (Qualitative/Quantitative and exact type used, questionnaires etc)

Qualitative. The report mapped and analysed the disinformation episodes made available by five Italian publications on fake news, released in the course of 2023. 226 fact-checking articles were analysed as of November 2023.

Sample details and representativeness

226 disinformation episodes collected by five Italian publications focusing on disinformation and fact-checking, i.e., BlastingNews, Bufale.net, Facta.news, Open, Pagella Politica.

DISCLAIMERThe information presented here is collected under contract by the FRA's research network FRANET. The information and views contained do not necessarily reflect the views or the official position of the FRA.