The role of the media in the spread of conspiracy theories
On Friday 16 May, the ICMB organized a workshop on conspiracy theories and journalism. Interested journalists and researchers from various backgrounds took part. The ICMB researchers first presented their findings from the project “Preparing the mainstream media for the next pandemic - when does mainstream media content foster belief in conspiracy theories?”. The presentations focused on where conspiracy theories occur, who believes them and what traditional media can do to curb their spread. In a second part, the results were discussed with the participants. The focus was on how journalists deal with conspiracy theories in their work and what these results mean in practice. The discussions continued over lunch.
The project and the workshop have been funded by the Multidisciplinary Center for Infectious Diseases, a strategic center of the University of Bern founded through the generous support of the Stiftung Vinetum.
