2025/01/01 by Phoebe Matich · 1 voice · 1 citation
Social Sciences · #Advertising #Business #Computer science #Internet privacy #Law #Media studies #Misinformation #Misinformation and Its Impacts #Political science #Sociology
paper · pdf · doi:10.5204/thesis.eprints.256951
published in Queensland University of Technology
openalex publication_date 2025/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/05/02 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
This thesis explores “fake news” and information legitimacy by examining how Australian journalists engage with politicians’ misinformation claims in their news production practices. Analysing the 2022 Australian Federal election campaign with qualitative mixed methods, it considers both news stories and journalists’ self-perceptions, finding that journalists’ practices contribute to misinformation by shaping how we understand it. The results demonstrate journalists’ socialised methods and knowledge, hostility to social media, and inadequate newsroom policies and resourcing. Ultimately, the thesis shows that journalists are fundamentally challenged in making assertions about truth, and that current scholarly frameworks for understanding misinformation do not reflect political complexity.