Prelims

Fake News in Digital Cultures

Fake News in Digital Cultures: Technology, Populism and Digital Misinformation

BY

ROB COVER

RMIT University, Australia

ASHLEIGH HAW

University of Melbourne, Australia

AND

JAY DANIEL THOMPSON

RMIT University, Australia

United Kingdom – North America – Japan – India – Malaysia – China

Emerald Publishing Limited

Howard House, Wagon Lane, Bingley BD16 1WA, UK

First edition 2022

Copyright © 2022 Rob Cover, Ashleigh Haw and Jay Daniel Thompson. Published under an exclusive license by Emerald Publishing Limited.

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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-80117-877-8 (Print)

ISBN: 978-1-80117-876-1 (Online)

ISBN: 978-1-80117-878-5 (Epub)

Rob dedicates this book to the late Ashton Taylor, cousin and former student, whose journalism and blogging on health disinformation scandals played an important role in highlighting the material impact of false hope on Australians with chronic illnesses.

Ashleigh dedicates this book to her father, Rex Haw, whose tireless career in journalism and unwaivering dedication to purveying information that informs democracy has led to many fruitful discussions about the core issues of this book.

Jay dedicates this book to the late Janet Malcolm, whose elegant prose and commitment to journalistic ethics has inspired generations of media writers.

The thinking, research and discourse underpinning this book has benefitted from many valuable conversations with peers, students, research participants and friends in many settings around the world.

The authors wish to acknowledge the staff, students and colleagues at RMIT University and the University of Melbourne for their support and for providing time to develop this work.

Great conversations with colleagues and peers are key in forming new ideas, approaches and ways of thinking differently about an everyday topic. We owe a debt of gratitude to many people, including particularly Linda Brennan, Benedetta Brevini, Mark Davis, Karen Farquharson, Catherine Gomes, Catharine Lumby, Denis Muller, Christy Newman, Lukas Parker, Tinonee Pym, Kurt Sengul, Verity Trott, Lisa Waller, John Weldon, Scott Wright and Charlotte Young.

We also thank Rex and Fiona Haw, Peter and Trish Thompson, Dean Tunbridge and Jeff Williams.