Fake news as a two-dimensional phenomenon: a framework and research agenda

TLDR

Based on an extensive literature review, we suggest that “fake news” refers to two dimensions of political communication: the fake news genre—deliberate creation of pseudojournalistic disinformation—and the fake news label—instrumentalization of the term to delegitimize news media, noting that public concerns about the label are rising while scholarly focus remains on the genre. The authors aim to connect fake news literature with related concepts from political communication and journalism research, present a theoretical framework, and propose a research agenda. They achieve this by integrating existing literature on fake news with political communication and journalism research, developing a framework to study fake news, and outlining future research directions. The study clarifies the discourse on fake news and recommends shifting scholarly attention toward the neglected fake news label.

Abstract

Based on an extensive literature review, we suggest that 'fake news' alludes to two dimensions of political communication: the fake news genre (i.e. the deliberate creation of pseudojournalistic disinformation) and the fake news label (i.e. the instrumentalization of the term to delegitimize news media). While public worries about the use of the label by politicians are increasing, scholarly interest is heavily focused on the genre aspect of fake news. We connect the existing literature on fake news to related concepts from political communication and journalism research, present a theoretical framework to study fake news, and formulate a research agenda. Thus, we bring clarity to the discourse about fake news and suggest shifting scholarly attention to the neglected fake news label.