The disinformation strategy orchestrated by the far right about the coronavirus crisis goes far beyond the dissemination of hoaxes. Spanish ultra-nationalism has taken advantage of the exceptional situation created by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic to deploy a whole battery of techniques typical of an information manipulation manual that, ultimately, seeks the benefit of its own political agenda. And for this he uses various tactics with which he can attack from different flanks: at the same time that he tries to discredit the Government or representatives of the left with hoaxes, he repeats messages such as the need for stricter border controls to stop the expansion of the virus, which is at the same time one of their traditional demands to control immigration. In fact, during the state of alarm, Vox has demanded that free healthcare be removed from irregular immigrants.
Cambridge University researchers Jon Roozenbeek and Sander van der Linden have identified the main disinformation narratives in the Game of Hoaxes , a playful tool to educate against information manipulation through a virtual simulation in which participants try to imitate to a popularizer of lies on social networks. The proposal, based on the "theory of inoculation", aims to - taking the simile of the virus and the vaccine - teach how to make hoaxes as an antidote to identify them.
The extreme right has used all the narratives described in the Game of hoaxes during the coronavirus crisis:
1. Imitation of a reliable source of information
The first step proposed by the Game of hoaxes is "disguising yourself as a credible news source", which in practice means having a platform to disseminate content, such as a blog or a supposed news portal. This narrative is effective because "most people pay little attention to sources," the researchers argue.
This is the case of the YouTube channel State of alarm , which the journalist Javier Negre launched on March 25 and in which communicators and politicians linked to the extreme right collaborate - EL PAÍS has tried unsuccessfully to contact Negre. "In this channel you will know the truth of what is really happening in our country, without censorship, without gag," he says in his presentation. However, most of the contents are opinions defended by the extreme right presented as news and not information based on reliable sources. And it has even fueled conspiracy theories, such as the one that locates the origin of the virus in a Chinese laboratory, belied by scientific evidence. The cover of his first entry is a declaration of intent: an image in which, together with an illustration of the coronavirus, the president, Pedro Sánchez, appears; Vice President Pablo Iglesias; the Minister for Equality, Irene Montero; the spokesperson for Unidas Podemos, Pablo Echenique; the director of the Center for the Coordination of Alerts and Emergencies of the Ministry of Health, Fernando Simón, and the president of the Generalitat, Quim Torra. The channel, in a single month, already has almost 200,000 subscribers.
2. Exaltation of emotions
Appealing to feelings like fear, anger, or compassion "is a great tool to spread a message," say Roozenbeek and Van der Linden. And they add: "Viral articles often have short, sharp headlines that evoke these kinds of emotions."
This section could include hoaxes such as the photograph showing a warehouse full of coffins next to the PSOE emblem, an illustration of the virus and a text that read: “Images of the Spain that Pedro Sánchez is leaving us. The photo for which they are investigating dozens of police and health workers. ” The photo tried to imply that the coffins rested the remains of people killed in Spain by the covid-19 and that those responsible for these deaths were socialist leaders, when in reality they were those of immigrants who died in a shipwreck off the Italian island. of Lampedusa, in 2013.
But not only lies misinform. The continuous allusions to the "murderous government" on social networks are an example of this attempt to exalt the feelings of public opinion. Also the initiative proposed through Instagram to give a “shoe” to the President of the Executive, which consisted of photographing himself while throwing a shoe against television at a time when Pedro Sánchez appeared and that exalts the feeling of anger or anger.
3. Polarization
"Finding existing complaints and exploiting them" can create friction and make public think that a "story is much more important than it really is," says the Game of hoaxes, which suggests participants take advantage of the great distance that separates to the "left and right".
The extreme right in Spain has taken advantage of the discomfort that the supposed privileges of politicians can cause compared to other citizens. This is the case of the hoax about the respirator that Manuela Carmena would have received at his home, broadcast by the Twitter user Alvise Pérez (pseudonym Luis Pérez, former adviser to the leader of Citizens Toni Cantó), who published a photo in which he was seen in front of the The former Mayor of Madrid's house has a van from the company VitalAire, which distributes oxygen to people with chronic respiratory diseases —EL PAÍS has tried, unsuccessfully, to contact Alvise Pérez—. "Avoid going to a public hospital and queuing like the rest of the Spanish," said on Twitter, a denial of information, not only by Carmena, but by the company itself.
Do you know which 76-year-old former mayor has received a personal respirator from the company 'VitalAire' at her home to avoid going to a Public Hospital and queuing like the rest of the Spanish?
I give you a hint: Neither @LaSextaNoticias nor any left-wing media will report it. pic.twitter.com/CIKsofdnWA
4. Conspiracy theories
The Game of hoaxes proposes to take advantage of "the desire of people to know the truth to drag them into your group of followers". And for this it is not necessary to invent conspiracy theories, but to take advantage of those that already exist.
Precisely around the origin of the new coronavirus there are at least a dozen conspiracy theories that generally deny that SARS-CoV-2 has passed from an animal to a human being and bet that it was born in some laboratory, since It is from China, the United States or even Canada, despite the fact that there is no type of evidence in this regard. It is the speech that Vox leaders support when they allude to the "Chinese virus", with which they stress that this country is behind the new pandemic - beyond the racist implications of using such a name, which stigmatizes a population. The leader of the ultra-nationalist party Javier Ortega Smith, who fell ill with covid-19, referred to SARS-Cov-2 on Twitter as the "damn Chinese viruses" and assured that his "Spanish antibodies" would fight against them "until they were defeated". The tweet has already been deleted. Macarena Olona, a deputy from the same party, also made the following statements on April 13 during an interview in Los Desayunos de TVE: “China has brought us two things: first, the plague of the 21st century, and second, the breeding ground conducive so that the communist postulates that have not been voted by the Spaniards for the most part finally prevail in our country ”.
Macarena Olona (Vox): "China has brought us two things: firstly, the plague of the 21st century and, secondly, the breeding ground conducive for the communist postulates to prevail in our country"
➡ https: // t.co/V3wkJojJeK # COVID2019 pic.twitter.com/tpQGwjymaV
5. Discredit
What is the best strategy when the hoax diffuser is hunted for his lies? "Hitting back", "not retreating" and creating "a campaign of total discredit", maintains the Game of hoaxes.
It is the technique that the extreme right has used to attack platforms dedicated to verifying information, such as Maldita.es and Newtral . Javier Negre, creator of the aforementioned YouTube channel Estado de alarmo , broadcast the hoax that these two media decided what to censor on WhatsApp. ” The journalist took advantage of the fact that WhatsApp had announced that viral messages were only going to be forwarded to a group, precisely to fight against the massive dissemination of hoaxes, to misrepresent the information. Since Facebook is the owner of WhatsApp and has contracted Newtral and Maldita.es as verifiers, it erroneously concluded that these media were going to censor messages on the platform.
The list of the largest censors in the kingdom @Newtral and @malditobulo. Checkers on the left who are the ones who decide what to censor on WhatsApp. A scandal. pic.twitter.com/Ic95FkICYU
- Javier Negre (@ javiernegre10) April 12, 20206. 'Trolling'
Sending trolls , accounts that post provocative messages on social media to annoy or divert attention, is very effective in wearing down the enemy, British researchers consider. “Participating in a discussion with a troll means wasting precious time and energy. But that is exactly what they want! ”, They add.
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The examples number in the tens of thousands. It is enough to look at the interactions with members of the Government, representatives of the left, from the world of culture and journalists to certify that this narrative of disinformation is practiced daily. As proof, check out some of the interactions this report will receive on Twitter.
The Prosecutor's Office is investigating whether a criminal group is hiding behind the coronavirus campaign of hoaxes against the government. Whether it exists or not, the truth is that the extreme right, led by Vox, has taken advantage of the coronavirus breeding ground to exploit all the disinformation and manipulation strategies that contribute to expanding its political program, which advocates the closure of borders, denigrates feminism. , defends the so-called parental pin to veto sex education in schools and has taken up criticism against activist Greta Thunberg to affirm that climate change, in the face of the deaths caused by the pandemic, is no longer of interest.
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