Call for papers: Untangling the knots between disinformation and inequalities

Special issue editors: Geoffroy Patriarche (UCLouvain Saint-Louis Bruxelles), Victor Wiard (UCLouvain Saint-Louis Bruxelles) et Trisha Meyer (Vrije Universiteit Brussel)

 

Presentation

A whole area of media and communication research investigates how different inequalities shape, and are shaped by, the production, the circulation, the reception and the effects of news and other kinds of information (e.g. Le Cam et al., 2023; Skarsbø Lindtner et al., 2024).

This bilingual (English and French) special issue in Recherches en communication aims to develop such lines of enquiry within the field of disinformation research. Inequalities are only partially or marginally addressed in academic research and public discourse on disinformation (Kuo & Marwick, 2021; Nieminen, 2024). This special issue aims to deepen our understanding of the multiple intersections between disinformation and inequalities.

We understand disinformation as deliberate and organized misinformation, usually with the aim of harming an individual, a group, an organization or a country. Misinformation, in turn, can be broadly defined as false or misleading information (Roozenbeek & van der Linden, 2024). Malinformation, which is defined as factually correct information being intentionally used to harm (Wardle & Derakshan, 2017), may also be considered in the special issue. Both disinformation and malinformation can be used for moral, political, military, commercial or other purposes, and can be found in propaganda and foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI).

In turn, inequality is viewed as the situation in which certain social groups have less opportunities, resources and/or outcomes than others because of their gender, education, income, race, ethnicity, religion, living place, or any other structural or identity-based positions. In this special issue, we examine how disinformation shapes inequalities and vice versa.

This special issue is an initiative of EDMO BELUX 2.0, a multidisciplinary hub that brings together academics, fact-checkers, disinformation analysts, and media literacy organizations to monitor, analyze and contribute to the mitigation of disinformation in Belgium and Luxembourg (https://belux.edmo.eu). EDMO BELUX 2.0 is one of the 14 national or regional hubs being coordinated by EDMO.eu, the European Digital Media Observatory (https://edmo.eu).

Proposals may be submitted in English or French. We particularly encourage proposals that take Belgium and/or Luxembourg as fields of study but any proposal in line with the issue’s topic is welcome, regardless of the geographical scope. Proposals may be programmatic, theoretical, methodological or empirical, and may be rooted in any of the approaches and methodologies in media and communication research.

Proposals are invited to follow one or more of the three research avenues outlined below: disinformation as a source of inequalities, disinformation as an outcome of inequalities, and inequalities in the mitigation of disinformation.

Disinformation as a source of inequalities

Disinformation flourishes within broad societal narratives that privilege dominant voices while systematically silencing others, reflecting, perpetuating or reinforcing inequalities – or creating new ones (Higdon & Butler, 2023). At least three avenues of research could be pursued to investigate further how disinformation shapes inequalities.

First, we welcome proposals that analyze disinformation targeting social or cultural groups that are disadvantaged, marginalized, discriminated against and/or stigmatized (e.g. women, sexual or gender minorities, racial, ethnic or religious minorities). Proposals addressing this subtopic may focus on a particular prejudiced group or develop an intersectional approach to the issue.

Second, proposals could explore disinformation campaigns that aim to delegitimize and silence social justice/protest/activist movements that work to reduce inequalities and/or mitigate their effects. This issue could be approached from diverse perspectives such as ‘culture wars’, ‘cancel culture’, or any other perspective.

Third, papers could focus on disinformation that exploits social, economic and cultural inequalities to fuel tensions and divisions (e.g. populist political discourse using disinformation to polarize groups and societies).

Proposals approaching disinformation as a source of inequalities may focus on the entities (e.g. state agencies, political groups, social media platforms, so-called ‘alternative media’), the strategies, the technologies (e.g. AI) and/or the discourses of disinformation. They may also examine its circulation, its reception and/or its effects, by studying the general population or by focusing on specific groups.

Disinformation as an outcome of inequalities

Further, this special issue invites proposals that approach disinformation as an outcome or a symptom of growing inequalities within Western democracies and elsewhere in the world (Nieminen, 2024).

Proposals can investigate how inequalities among (general or specific) audiences influence the vulnerability to disinformation. This line of enquiry may expand approaches and notions that address the relationship between information and inequalities, such as information precarity (Wall et al., 2017), information poverty (Haider & Bawden, 2007), information marginalization (Gibson & Martin III, 2019), communication inequality (Häfliger et al., 2023) or – beyond information as such – the digital divide (Van Dijk, 2020).

Another approach could look at the strategies used by disadvantaged groups to avoid, detect and/or minimize disinformation. Yet another approach sees disinformation as a means of expression and/or protest in societies torn by multiple inequalities. This can be exemplified by ‘conspiracy theories’ (Uscinski, 2018), which, from a certain perspective, question the ways in which power is distributed and exercised in society, thereby contributing to a more egalitarian society.

Inequalities in the mitigation of disinformation

Finally, this special issue invites proposals that ask how inequalities are, or should be, addressed in the initiatives that aim at mitigating the production, the circulation and/or the effects of disinformation.

Inequalities shape the way in which initiatives aimed at mitigating disinformation are designed, implemented and experienced (Kuo & Marwick, 2021). For instance, initiatives organized by a privileged majority may neglect certain issues or areas of disinformation – such as race, racism and colonialism (Higdon & Butler, 2023) - or neglect potential beneficiary groups or fail to address their needs and expectations. Inequalities can also be found in the uneven distribution of tools, funding, and expertise required to carry out such initiatives. On the user side, inequalities may prevent certain target groups from participating in these initiatives or from gaining benefits from their participation.

At the same time, the mitigation of disinformation can contribute to reducing inequalities. For example, the fact-checking of gendered disinformation contributes to the mitigation of gender inequalities (Pérez Pereiro et al., 2024). Critical news literacy can be used to address race, racism, and colonialism in (dis)information (Higdon & Butler, 2023). Yet another example is provided by prejudiced communities who develop their own counter-discourses to combat disinformation narratives that target them (Vrikki & Malik, 2019). 

Proposals that examine inequalities in the mitigation of disinformation could focus on fact-checking, media education, public policies, platform policies, counter-discourses by disadvantaged groups, or any other kind of area or initiative aimed at mitigating disinformation.

 

Proposal submission guidelines

Interested authors are invited to submit an abstract of 750 words all-inclusive by 6 April 2025.

Abstracts should be written in English, (even though the final papers can be written in English or French). They should include a title, at least 5 references and, for each author, the name, the e-mail address and the institutional affiliation. They should be sent by e-mail to the three editors (see the email addresses below).

The abstracts will be reviewed by the special issue editors, especially regarding their relevance to the special issue’s topic. The authors will receive a response by 20 April 2025.

Authors whose abstracts have been accepted will be invited to submit the full article on the journal’s website at https://ojs.uclouvain.be/index.php/rec/index. The deadline for submission is 31 August 2025.

The full article may be written in English or French, with a wordcount between 6000 and 8000 words (excluding the abstract, keywords, and references). Complete author guidelines are provided on the journal website at https://ojs.uclouvain.be/index.php/rec/about/submissions.

Authors need to register with the journal prior to submitting or, if already registered, can simply log in and begin the submission process.

The editors will check the articles in order to ensure anonymity (see the author guidelines on the journal website). Then the articles will be submitted for a double-blind review. The final versions of the articles are expected by 15 December 2025 at the very latest.

Articles accepted for publication are published one by one on the journal website as they are completed, without waiting for the whole issue to be ready for publication.

 

Contacts

Prof. Geoffroy Patriarche (UCLouvain Saint-Louis Bruxelles): geoffroy.patriarche@uclouvain.be

Prof. Victor Wiard (UCLouvain Saint-Louis Bruxelles): victor.wiard@uclouvain.be

Prof. Trisha Meyer (Vrije Universiteit Brussel): trisha.meyer@vub.be

 

References

Gibson, A. N. & Martin III, J. D. (2019). Re-Situating Information Poverty: Information Marginalization and Parents of Individuals With Disabilities. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 70(5), 476-487. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.24128

Häfliger, C., Diviani, N. & Rubinelli, S. (2023). Communication inequalities and health disparities among vulnerable groups during the COVID-19 pandemic - a scoping review of qualitative and quantitative evidence. BMC public health, 23(1), 428. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15295-6

Haider, J. & Bawden, D. (2007). Conceptions of “information poverty” in LIS: A discourse analysis. Journal of Documentation, 63(4), 534–557. https://doi.org/10.1108/00220410710759002

Higdon, N. & Butler, A. (2023). (Fake) News is Racist: Mapping Culturally Relevant Approaches to Critical News Literacy Pedagogy. Critical Education, 14(3), 78–97. https://doi.org/10.14288/ce.v14i3.186720 

Kuo, R. & Marwick, A. (2021). Critical disinformation studies: History, Power and Politics. Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review, 2(4). https://doi.org/10.37016/mr-2020-76

Le Cam, F., Libert, M. & Ménalque, L. (2023). Être femme et journaliste. Enquête sociologique dans un monde au masculin. Bruxelles : Éditions de l’Université de Bruxelles.

Nieminen, H. (2024). Why Does Disinformation Spread in Liberal Democracies? The Relationship between Disinformation, Inequality, and the Media. Javnost - The Public, 31(1), 123–140. https://doi.org/10.1080/13183222.2024.2311019

Pérez Pereiro, M., Moreno Gil V. & Salgado de Dios, F. (2024). Gendered disinformation in Spanish-language fact-checking: origin, methodology, and perspectives. Estudios sobre el Mensaje Periodístico, 30(3), 477-487. https://doi.org/10.5209/emp.96379

Roozenbeek, J. & van der Linden, S. (2024). The Psychology of Misinformation. Cambridge University Press.

Skarsbø Lindtner, S. & Uberg Nærland, T. (2024). News Avoidance and Poverty: Intersectional Marginalization in the Norwegian “Media Welfare State.” Journalism Studies, 25(12), 1498–1515. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2024.2326075

Uscinski, J. (2018). The Study of Conspiracy Theories. Argumenta, 6, 233-245. https://www.argumenta.org/article/study-conspiracy-theories-special-issue/

Van Dijk, J. (2020). The Digital Divide. Polity.

Vrikki, P. & Malik, S. (2019). Voicing lived-experience and anti-racism: podcasting as a space at the margins for subaltern counterpublics. Popular Communication, 17(4), 273–287. https://doi.org/10.1080/15405702.2019.1622116

Wall, M., Otis Campbell, M. & Janbek, D. (2017). Syrian refugees and information precarity. New Media & Society, 19(2), 240–254.

Wardle, C. & Derakhshan, H. (2017). Information disorder. Toward an interdisciplinary framework for research and policy making. Council of Europe. https://edoc.coe.int/en/media/7495-information-disorder-toward-an-interdisciplinary-framework-for-research-and-policy-making.html