10-YEAR TREND in
media and user interest in FAKE NEWS up to 2022
This Landau Media case study analyses the current prevalence of fake news in the Swiss media
and compares it with how user interest has developed over the last 10 years, from 2012 to 2022
Fake news has always existed, but since US President Donald Trump at the latest, the term has become firmly established in the Swiss media.
Fake news is the new buzzword in the media and information industry. In its new case study, CSolutions, the media intelligence unit of Landau Media, presents the rise of the term in the Swiss media and the shift in user interest over the last 10 years.
What is fake news?
“Fake news” refers to deliberately falsified information or false statements of fact that are knowingly spread, mainly online, as fabricated news for financial, personal or political reasons.
The phenomenon is not new, but today false reports spread mainly via social media such as Twitter, Facebook & Co. and via messenger services such as Telegram. With the rise of social media, the opportunities for exerting influence have multiplied. Spreading false reports has become easier, so more and more players are using them to exert influence.
That is why Landau Media examined the prevalence of fake news in leading Swiss media over a period of ten years and also analysed the search behaviour of the Swiss population on fake news over the same period – with some fascinating findings! Who is driving fake news in the Swiss media, and who is reporting on this trending topic more and more?
These questions are answered in our new case study FAKE NEWS – 10-YEAR TREND IN MEDIA AND USER INTEREST UP TO 2022. Download now!
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"People have always lied, cheated and spread disinformation. But the term fake news only really took hold in leading Swiss media with the inauguration of Donald Trump in 2017."
Fake news is trending
Half-truths, disinformation campaigns, conspiracy theories or propaganda: the number of deliberately spread false reports has been rising for years. Fake news is dangerous for societies and democracies worldwide. Targeted disinformation – for example before elections, during the coronavirus pandemic or about the war in Ukraine – can stoke fears and reinforce prejudices.
Our analysis shows that it was above all with Donald Trump’s inauguration in 2017 and the social media election campaign that preceded it that the term fake news also became established in the top Swiss media.
The term is no longer discussed only in the echo chamber of newsrooms; it is also wielded as a rhetorical weapon in societal and political discourse. Our study also shows its growing relevance over the past 10 years.
GREATEST REACH
Over time, it is clear that user interest in reports on “fake news” rose sharply with the appearance of former US President Donald Trump.
With the coronavirus pandemic from March 2020 onwards, however, the spread of fake news received another strong boost. The interest of the Swiss population in fake news is also reflected in search behaviour on google.ch.
Google records an average of 3,600 searches. With Trump, user interest in “fake news” also rose sharply on google.ch, but the peak came with Covid-19.
Leading Swiss media
The distribution by media outlet shows that information on fake news has a firm place in media coverage. Five newsrooms, however, reported particularly often on the “fake news” trend.
Top Swiss authors
Which Swiss journalists have a particular interest in the topic of fake news and have established themselves as opinion leaders? These top 5 authors write exceptionally often about the subject of “fake news”!
OUR STUDY ANSWERS THESE QUESTIONS
- How has the trend in articles on fake news changed over the last 10 years?
- What has played a key role in shaping the fake news phenomenon?
- Which media outlets reported on fake news most often?
- Which top authors are opinion leaders on the term “fake news”?
- How has user interest in fake news changed over the last 10 years?
You can find all the results of the media intelligence study in our free e-booklet.
