Pandemia Da Desinformação: o papel do jornalismo profissional no combate às fake news sobre a COVID-19 no Twitter da Folha de S.Paulo.

Abstract

The purpose of this research is the observation of what are the tools used by professional journalism to act in the fight against fake news. From this point, an analysis was made of the misinformation propagated about the covid-19 pandemic from the perspective of the publications made by the Folha de S.Paulo newspaper in its profile on the social network Twitter. Within this conception, one of the objectives of the work is to discuss the role of journalism and professional journalists in contemporary times, focusing on their challenges and responsibilities in the face of the massive dissemination of disinformation in the networks. For that, the concepts related to online social networks and their implications within the context of the analysis were also discussed here. A theoretical and analytical review was also carried out on what misinformation and fake news are these days from the point of view of the authors listed here and how these phenomena have affected the society and the practice of professional journalism. For that, the concept of post-truth was also approached and the possible tools combined with the work of the media inserted in this environment, such as fact-checking and data-driven journalism, were examined. From the observations made in the analysis, with the perspective of Cultural Studies as a theoretical basis, it was possible to verify that in the face of the disruptive scenario imposed by disinformation, the journalist presents himself as a curator of the facts and through the available tools and the editorial path adopted through the communication vehicle, it has a fundamental role in combating fraudulent news that affects different sectors of society, putting lives, institutions and democracy itself at risk. Here, in face of an uninformative pandemic and under critical challenges in the practice of professional journalism, it is necessary to reevaluate the role of the journalist in contemporary times. When the monopoly on the production and dissemination of news and information is lost, it becomes necessary to assume new responsibilities in the verification and curation of the most relevant themes in society, with emphasis on the time and the context in which it is inserted, collaborating narratively and discursively for its construction.