Abstract
This paper applies Pierre Bourdieu’s field theory to study fake news in COVID communication in Taiwan. Using the corpus-assisted discourse studies (CADS) method, we analyzed fake news identified as such by two Taiwanese fact-checking institutions during the pandemic. While the pandemic prevention as doxa was acknowledged, the discourses of fake news aimed to challenge the state's constructed nomos. Through cultural, social, political, and symbolic capital, these stories could leverage their power in the field of COVID communication. We argue that the dissemination of pandemic-related fake news, especially those that promoted resistance to the strict measures implemented by governments, can be understood as a manifestation of nonconformity to COVID-19 protocols. Referring to fake news as an infectious disease oversimplifies communication and hinders critical thinking.
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Notes
Article 14 of the Special Act for Prevention, Relief, and Revitalization Measures for Severe Pneumonia with Novel Pathogens (2021) states that individuals who disseminate rumors or false information regarding the epidemic conditions of severe pneumonia with novel pathogens, causing damage to the public or others, shall be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than three years or criminal detention, or in lieu thereof or in addition thereto, a fine of no more than NT$3 million.
Note that dates in Taiwan are written year/month/day.
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Kuo, W., Wang, S. Fake News in the Field of COVID Communication: Investigating the ‘Infodemic’ in Taiwan. Crit Crim 31, 399–415 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10612-023-09704-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10612-023-09704-w