A “Perfect Storm”: News, Journalism and the Threat from Disordered Information

This paper argues that news media – mainstream and social – can be used to conduit disordered information – mis, dis and malinformation – into news eco-systems to influence opinions and events. Journalists are on the front line against “epistemic insecurity” whereby we feel we can no longer rely on what we are told. This paper draws on semi-structured interviews with journalists and civil society actors in the UK at the national level and asks about their perception of “disinformation” and any threat it poses. Using reflexive thematic analysis, it finds perceptions of both the term and the threat to be fuzzy. The perception of threat had increased following Covid-19, and news outlets have responded by upskilling journalists in data analysis and open-source techniques – and bringing verification to the fore. However, these are hampered by the rise of social media, staffing issues, the advent of artificial intelligence and ongoing adherence to the easily exploited liberal model of news. The paper concludes that greater awareness of the issues presented by disordered information is vital if the news media – social and mainstream – are to avoid being a conduit – and target – of it. If that continues, our epistemic security is at risk.