Nowadays, the quality of journalism and media products, the impact of the information they spread, and the credibility of such information are widely questioned. They are often criticized for occasional outbursts of misleading news as well as highly orchestrated campaigns disseminating untruths, commonly referred to as “fake news.” Such acts of deceit, purposely or unwittingly shared, gain their full exposure and extent on social media, and are generally classified as disinformation, malinformation, and misinformation1 according to the deliberate or non-intentional aims lying behind. The invasive wave of fake news is drowning all sorts of mainstream, social, and alternative media outlets, and the Lebanese media ecosystem is no exception to this phenomenon.

In February 2023, an in-depth qualitative research study was conducted to target specific Lebanese audiences of women and men from various religious communities and age categories at the grassroots level. The study aimed to understand the impact of media narratives, namely those meant to be “fake news,” among the very end of the “message food chain.” This means how citizens or end users come across fake news, how they receive it, how they mentally perceive it, process it, and react to it.

The study aims to identify:

• The exact channels through which the end media consumer receives fake news;
• What in the message itself makes it more or less prone to stick in the recipient’s mind; and
• What in the recipient’s personality and environment makes the person more or less receptive to fake news.
  
  

Major Findings

1. Television remains at the forefront of mainstream media, but social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, along with local pages, are also popular due to their accessibility and ability to provide news updates, particularly hyper-local news, at any time and from any place. Some participants rely on private WhatsApp groups to keep track of and receive updates on developments in their local neighborhoods. The information provided through these channels is considered trustworthy because the consumers and creators of the news updates are local.

2. Participants in the study take a snapshot of a variety of news channels and social media platforms to get their news, evaluating their truthfulness and attempting to “figure out the truth.” Across different focus groups, there is a shared lack of trust in news channels, and no media outlet is  particularly credited with credibility or objectivity. Even if the media is affiliated with their own religious community or political party, all participants confirm consuming media messages with great caution and limited belief. This mistrust is the result of the political and partisan ownership of news channels. Participants insist that every media outlet provides the news according to its particular interests and those of the politician who finances it. Participants are fully aware that mainstream media outlets are promoting the political agendas of their financiers and sponsors. Moreover, they are merely tools in the hands of their owners (religious factions, political parties, businesspersons…) who use them as part of their larger panoply to conduct their battles and achieve their political and economic aims.

3. At first glance, all participants appear to be well aware of the underlying economic motivations (the incessant search for profit) and hidden political agendas (promoting political parties, bolstering confessional interests, endorsing the cunnings of a political figure presented as the community leader or zaïm…) behind the Lebanese media productions, and therefore the risk of negative by-products such as fake news. Lebanese media outlets are accused of playing a major role in igniting and/or nourishing hostilities, being owned, financed, and/or managed by religious factions and political parties of well-known confessional and sectarian obedience. Among other tools, fake news is used to create a fertile environment for the consecration of confessional affiliations, sectarian submissions, and gruesome violence within the framework of multilayered communication strategies.

4. While most of the participants possess a certain level of information literacy, this advantage does not grant them immunity against fake news. They are unable to identify all forms of fake news and are vulnerable to mis- and disinformation. A major factor that has helped improve consumers’ resilience to suspicious media messages is the economic crisis, which has affected all Lebanese communities and has pitted them against the wealthy political class. Some believe that the socio-economic deprivation that the media originally used to divide communities is now bringing members of different religious communities together against their “exploiters.” Participants are aware that all Lebanese citizens, regardless of their religious or political affiliations, have become impoverished, while the political oligarchy is growing richer across all religious communities and nepotistic political parties who prioritize their own personal gains over the well-being of the Lebanese people.

5. All of the focus groups participants were astounded by the “revelation” that all news submitted for their evaluation turned out to be fake news, despite most of them initially suspecting their inaccuracy. They criticized the excerpts’ propensity for exaggeration, weak consistency, nonattractive style and tone, and the shady intentions of their authors.

6. The participants in the study responded differently to the four tested conspiracy theories, based on their personal beliefs and political affiliations. While some participants dismissed some of the theories due to the lack of evidence or statistics, they did not entirely reject the possibility that the theories could be true. Others, however, had their beliefs challenged by the news they encountered, such as some participants who considered the possibility that the earth may be flat because they thought that NASA made a statement on the matter. One example presented to participants was the claim that the CEO of Pfizer had stated that the company’s goal behind  the COVID-19 vaccine was to reduce the world population by 50% by the beginning of 2023. Participants’ reactions varied, with some believing the news and others rejecting it based on their suspicions regarding COVID-19 and vaccines-related facts and purposes. However, many participants expressed doubt that Pfizer’s CEO would disclose such information, which could damage the company’s reputation. Another example presented was former Minister Marwan Kheireddine’s claim that Lebanon has more gas reserves than Qatar. Most participants believed the statement, as they considered the minister to have more inside information than the general public. Overall, participants’ reactions to the conspiracy theories varied widely based on their personal beliefs, political affiliations, and critical thinking abilities. The study highlights the importance of being able to discern credible information from fake news and the need to improve media literacy among the general public.

7. While the majority of participants think critically about how digital technology and social media platforms contribute to the spread of disinformation, they do not resort to social media verification. Most do not confront or combat online disinformation, deeming such an endeavor futile as it “will not change anything” and is hazardous in a deeply divided society with various confessional and partisan cleavages. They prefer to “stand aside,” “keep silent,” and “not interfere.” Therefore, a limited number of participants take part in online debates in fora or groups, particularly when they focus on political or confessional issues, as they believe that these debates often devolve into irrational diatribes, insults, and offenses that they do not wish to be exposed to. On the other hand, a certain number of participants are cautious about disseminating news and information. Some only share information with groups of acquaintances and colleagues if they believe that the source is reliable and credible.

8. Many of the participants trust local, “reliable” religious figures more than others. Although politically aligned and promoting the values of a particular party, they are seen as having moral qualities (such as being credible and uncorrupted) and good levels of education and/or information, and are viewed as “insiders” who obtain first-hand information from relevant and reliable sources through face-to-face contact. Most participants stress the importance of local interaction, as they believe that television and social media do not have a significant impact on their thinking. Rather, what influences their thinking are their personal relationships with people they trust. It should be noted that this concept works both positively and negatively, as these trusted sources of information can provide accurate information as well as present their own biased perspective, convincing their audience of the rightness of their narrative at the expense of relevance, proof, or facts.

9. The participants’ confessional and regional identities are not key factors in their comprehension and perception of the messages’ fake nature. The level of critical thinking and education, on the other hand, played a more significant role in directing their understanding and analysis of the news presented to them.

Coordination: Mirna Ghanem and Christelle El Hayek