Papers by Regina Cazzamatta
Journalism Studies , 2025
This study systematically analyzes and compares verification
strategies employed by fact-checking... more This study systematically analyzes and compares verification
strategies employed by fact-checking organizations across various
contexts. Utilizing a dataset of 3,154 verification articles from 23
organizations in eight countries across Europe and Latin America,
the study identifies 17 distinct debunking techniques through both
inductive and deductive approaches. The primary objectives are to
uncover common and divergent practices in factual correction,
assess how techniques vary by verification target (e.g., online
rumors versus statements by public figures), and examine
variations at organizational and national levels. The findings reveal
that while methods such as providing documents and tracing
misinformation origins are prevalent, significant variation exists
depending on the target. For online rumors, common practices
include tracing misinformation origins, forensic analysis, and visual
indicators of image manipulation. Conversely, verification of public
figure statements frequently involves expert arbitration and direct
contact with misinformation sources. Additionally, the study
highlights substantial differences in fact-checking strategies across
countries and organizations, influenced by their focus and
institutional contexts. This research addresses a notable gap in the
literature by offering a comparative analysis of verification
strategies, providing a framework for future experimental research,
and offering guidance for fact-checkers and scholars to refine their
approaches to combating misinformation
European Journal of Communication, 2025
Fact-checking journalism challenges procedural norms of objectivity by providing truth verdicts. ... more Fact-checking journalism challenges procedural norms of objectivity by providing truth verdicts. By actively evaluating statements and online rumors based on evidence weight, fact-checkers aim for robust, scientific objectivity. Despite this trend, there is a lack of studies analyzing evidence types used in verification articles, a gap which this article seeks to address. This comparative research examines types of valid evidence-documentation, digital forensic tools, and statementsemployed by fact-checkers across 12 organizations in the UK, Germany, Portugal, and Spain (n = 1976). Results are interpreted using media systems and digital indicators. Notably, Spain, with high political polarization and social media use for news, heavily utilizes digital forensic elements. Germany and the UK, known for high journalistic professionalism and low epistemic vulnerability, predominantly feature 'all-inclusive' evidence combining documents, statements, and forensics. Public service broadcasters exhibit the highest levels of verification complexity (hard fact-checking), contrasting with global news agencies, which generally favor softer fact-checking approaches, except for DPA.
Journalism Practices, 2025
This article explores advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) within scholarly research and ... more This article explores advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) within scholarly research and practical applications in the journalistic subgenre of fact-checking in Europe and Latin America using a mixed-method approach. Building on a prior systematic review of 348 peer-reviewed publications on algorithm-driven journalism, this study examined articles on fact-checking to outline the field. The review identified European and Latin American countries as both prominent and underrepresented, guiding subsequent investigation stages. A quantitative content analysis of 3,154 verification articles across eight countries (AR, BR, CL, VZ, the UK, DE, PT, SP) and 23 organisations in both continents was conducted to observe the most used automated verification tools. A qualitative analysis of the organisations' websites and promotional materials, which tracks inhouse AI projects aimed at monitoring, detecting, verifying, and disseminating claims, was conducted. The analysis revealed a significant imbalance in scholarly production and a dearth of studies combining algorithm-driven journalism with fact-checking. Fact-checking organisations predominantly employ basic automated tools like reverse image search and geolocation apps, indicating a trend towards convergence. However, proprietary automated tools for misinformation detection, monitoring, and compilation show regional disparities, with many being based in Europe and funded by major entities such as Google, EU projects, and the IFCN.
New Media & Society, 2024
In a quantitative content analysis of 3,154 debunking articles from 23 fact-checking organization... more In a quantitative content analysis of 3,154 debunking articles from 23 fact-checking organizations, this study examines global misinformation trends and regional nuances across eight countries in Europe and Latin America (UK, DE, PT, SP, AR, BR, CL, and VZ). It strives to elucidate commonalities and differences based on political and media system indicators. Notably, countries with a substantial online presence of far-right parties avoid disclosing (fake) ordinary accounts to evade engaging in inauthentic coordinated actions. While entirely fabricated stories are infrequent, they stand out in Brazil and Spain, the two countries with higher political polarization. Despite variations, aggregated forms of fabrication (invented, manipulated, imposter, or decontextualized content) are more prominent in Latin America due to high social media use for news and low reliance on public media. Conversely, in Europe, countries are more impacted by misleading (cherry-picked, exaggerated, and twisted) information.
International Journal of Communication, 2024
Falsehoods targeting political parties and candidates have long been entrenched in Brazilian poli... more Falsehoods targeting political parties and candidates have long been entrenched in Brazilian politics and monitored by the Superior Electoral Court (TSE). Since the rise of the far right in Brazil, the TSE has itself become a disinformation target. This study aims to unveil disinformation that has been directed at the Brazilian electoral system since 2018 and explore the court’s responses. First, we quantitatively analyzed 420 verification
articles from the TSE’s Fato ou Boato website to identify the falsehoods’ origins, targets, narratives, and deceptive strategies. Second, we conducted expert interviews and qualitatively examined official documents to explore counteraction strategies, particularly collaborations with fact-checkers. The findings indicate that disinformation primarily revolves around the alleged vulnerability of the electronic voting system (25%) and supposed illegal actions that have been committed by the TSE (15%). Supreme Federal
Court ministers, notably Luís Barroso and Alexandre de Moraes, have become frequent targets. Assaults on the TSE surged from 15% (2018) to 27% (2022). Strengthened collaboration with fact-checkers enhances their societal recognition and significance in the Brazilian public sphere.
The International Journal of Press/Politics, 2024
This study investigates how news flows have shaped the mediated conversations among BRICS countri... more This study investigates how news flows have shaped the mediated conversations among BRICS countries by examining aspects such as news geography, underlying topics, authorship attribution, and references to media sources. The authors conducted a quantitative manual content analysis of 3,945 discursive articles that were published between 2011 and 2019 by leading newspapers in BRICS countries, which covered ten dailies in four languages. The findings reveal that the most discussed countries reflected the traditional structure of international news, which includes trade partners, neighboring countries, and elite nations. Among the BRICS member states, China and Russia received the most media attention. China-related issues often intersected with economic topics, while articles on Russia predominantly centered around violent conflicts and security. Conversely, Brazil, India, and South Africa had limited visibility, with Brazil and South Africa often being discussed within the BRICS framework. Notably, South Africa led with the highest share of articles on the BRICS states altogether (19%), surpassing the share of U.S.-related articles (13.41%). Correspondent-authored articles on BRICS countries were comparatively recurrent in Chinese and Russian newspapers. Moreover, Chinese and Russian media footprints were scarce. More balanced coverage and denser news flow across BRICS media systems remain necessary to boost South-South communication and convey BRICS as more than a Chinese-Russian alliance "plus others."
Journalism Mass Communication Quarterly, 2024
This article evaluates the extent of social media policing in fact-checking (as opposed to verify... more This article evaluates the extent of social media policing in fact-checking (as opposed to verifying public figures' statements) and the thematic convergence across eight countries in Europe and Latin America. Based on audience reach, we collected links from various organizations (independent outlets, legacy media, or global news agencies). A representative stratified sample of 25% resulted in 3,154 articles. Among the findings, the trend of social media policing prevails across countries and organizations, except for most European legacy media. Independent news-born factchecking organizations follow a convergent path, sharing more similarities with their global counterparts than their national media peers.
DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals), Jun 1, 2022
Journalism
This study observes content-related indicators of the editorial decisions made by fact-checkers d... more This study observes content-related indicators of the editorial decisions made by fact-checkers during the 2022 Brazilian run-off election. Specifically, it aims to investigate fact-checkers’ outputsregarding verification genres, scrutinized actors, types of verified falsehoods, and inspected platforms. The focus on Brazil stems from its reputation as a disinformation hub, owing to social polarization, populist communication, high social media use, low media trust, and intense WhatsApp penetration. Consequently, fact-checking agencies have proliferated within Brazil’s media landscape. To provide some hints about the fact-checkers’ editorial choices, we conducted a quantitative content analysis of verification articles ( n = 349) published during the second round of the presidential election by four leading fact-checking organizations: Lupa and Aos Fatos (independents), Estadão Verifica (press), and AFP Checamos (global news agency). The results reveal a prioritization of combating o...
Journalism Practice
This article aims to identify structural trends in the German media coverage of Venezuela. While ... more This article aims to identify structural trends in the German media coverage of Venezuela. While very few studies on the topic have been conducted within liberal media systems (the UK and the US), this paper focuses on the German democratic corporatist model. Based on a longitudinal mixed methods approach – a quantitative content analysis of the German quality press (SZ, FAZ, taz, and Der Spiegel) over 15 years, combined with a qualitative inductive frame analysis –, we identified a classic pattern of foreign reporting: limited thematic agenda, conflict orientation, negativity, and a possible strong influence of news agencies. Except for the link-oriented alternative taz, the German media portrayed Chávez highly negatively and crisis-oriented. Noteworthy is that only 17% of the total coverage on Venezuela was produced on-site. The fact that we observed similar frames produced by different media systems (the UK, US, and DE), a comparable thematic limitation with a strong focus on political issues, and the disregard of positive developments, such as the report on social programs, might be an indicator of a solid thematic orientation to Western global news agencies.
Revista de Estudios Brasileños, 2020
Journalism, 2023
This study observes content-related indicators of the editorial decisions made by factcheckers du... more This study observes content-related indicators of the editorial decisions made by factcheckers during the 2022 Brazilian runoff election. Specifically, it aims to investigate factcheckers' outputs regarding verification genres, scrutinized actors, types of verified falsehoods, and inspected platforms. The focus on Brazil stems from its reputation as a disinformation hub, owing to social polarization, populist communication, high social media use, low media trust, and intense WhatsApp penetration. Consequently, factchecking agencies have proliferated within Brazil's media landscape. To provide some hints about the fact-checkers' editorial choices, we conducted a quantitative content analysis of verification articles (n = 349) published during the second round of the presidential election by four leading fact-checking organizations: Lupa and Aos Fatos (independents), Estadão Verifica (press), and AFP Checamos (global news agency). The results reveal a prioritization of combating online falsehoods (82.2%) spread by anonymous sources, as opposed to verifying public figures' statements (5.5%), a trend already observed in other media systems. Although Meta's social networks and Twitter are primarily monitored, other platforms such as TikTok, Kwai, and Telegram are increasingly
Journalism Practice , 2023
This article aims to identify structural trends in the German media coverage of Venezuela. While ... more This article aims to identify structural trends in the German media coverage of Venezuela. While very few studies on the topic have been conducted within liberal media systems (the UK and the US), this paper focuses on the German democratic corporatist model. Based on a longitudinal mixed methods approach – a quantitative content analysis of the German quality press (SZ, FAZ, taz, and Der Spiegel) over 15 years, combined with a qualitative inductive frame analysis –, we identified a classic pattern of foreign reporting: limited thematic agenda, conflict orientation, negativity, and a possible strong influence of news agencies. Except for the link-oriented alternative taz, the German media portrayed Chávez highly negatively and crisis-oriented. Noteworthy is that only 17% of the total coverage on Venezuela was produced on-site. The fact that we observed similar frames produced by different media systems (the UK, US, and DE), a comparable thematic limitation with a strong focus on political issues, and the disregard of positive developments, such as the report on social programs, might be an indicator of a solid thematic orientation to Western global news agencies.
DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals), Jul 1, 2021
Galáxia (São Paulo)
Este é um ensaio publicado em acesso aberto (Open Access) sob a licença Creative Commons Attribut... more Este é um ensaio publicado em acesso aberto (Open Access) sob a licença Creative Commons Attribution, que permite uso, distribuição e reprodução em qualquer meio, sem restrições desde que o trabalho original seja corretamente citado. ensaio e574651
Galáxia (São Paulo)
Este é um ensaio publicado em acesso aberto (Open Access) sob a licença Creative Commons Attribut... more Este é um ensaio publicado em acesso aberto (Open Access) sob a licença Creative Commons Attribution, que permite uso, distribuição e reprodução em qualquer meio, sem restrições desde que o trabalho original seja corretamente citado. ensaio e574652
Journal of Latin American Communication Research, 2021
This paper focuses on Latin America’s cultural coverage produced by the German press – Süddeutsch... more This paper focuses on Latin America’s cultural coverage produced by the German press – Süddeutsche Zeitung, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Der Spiegel and tageszeitung – from January 2000 to December 2014. At first, one analysed the main subjects areas of coverage amidst 3.831 articles and identified a surprisingly 17% amount of cultural reports (662 news items). While empirical results on foreign reports worldwide point to a weak representation of cultural themes and an intense concentration on politics, this does not apply fully in the case of Latin America. Brazil, Argentina, Mexico (with an intense power status and economic proximity) and Cuba (still a myth in the German perception) show a high amount of cultural coverage with a broader spectrum of themes, from music and literature to art, architecture and exhibitions. On the contrary, the cultural coverage of small Central American nations concentrates on travel & tourism, an indicator of exoticism. South American states also ...
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Papers by Regina Cazzamatta
strategies employed by fact-checking organizations across various
contexts. Utilizing a dataset of 3,154 verification articles from 23
organizations in eight countries across Europe and Latin America,
the study identifies 17 distinct debunking techniques through both
inductive and deductive approaches. The primary objectives are to
uncover common and divergent practices in factual correction,
assess how techniques vary by verification target (e.g., online
rumors versus statements by public figures), and examine
variations at organizational and national levels. The findings reveal
that while methods such as providing documents and tracing
misinformation origins are prevalent, significant variation exists
depending on the target. For online rumors, common practices
include tracing misinformation origins, forensic analysis, and visual
indicators of image manipulation. Conversely, verification of public
figure statements frequently involves expert arbitration and direct
contact with misinformation sources. Additionally, the study
highlights substantial differences in fact-checking strategies across
countries and organizations, influenced by their focus and
institutional contexts. This research addresses a notable gap in the
literature by offering a comparative analysis of verification
strategies, providing a framework for future experimental research,
and offering guidance for fact-checkers and scholars to refine their
approaches to combating misinformation
articles from the TSE’s Fato ou Boato website to identify the falsehoods’ origins, targets, narratives, and deceptive strategies. Second, we conducted expert interviews and qualitatively examined official documents to explore counteraction strategies, particularly collaborations with fact-checkers. The findings indicate that disinformation primarily revolves around the alleged vulnerability of the electronic voting system (25%) and supposed illegal actions that have been committed by the TSE (15%). Supreme Federal
Court ministers, notably Luís Barroso and Alexandre de Moraes, have become frequent targets. Assaults on the TSE surged from 15% (2018) to 27% (2022). Strengthened collaboration with fact-checkers enhances their societal recognition and significance in the Brazilian public sphere.
strategies employed by fact-checking organizations across various
contexts. Utilizing a dataset of 3,154 verification articles from 23
organizations in eight countries across Europe and Latin America,
the study identifies 17 distinct debunking techniques through both
inductive and deductive approaches. The primary objectives are to
uncover common and divergent practices in factual correction,
assess how techniques vary by verification target (e.g., online
rumors versus statements by public figures), and examine
variations at organizational and national levels. The findings reveal
that while methods such as providing documents and tracing
misinformation origins are prevalent, significant variation exists
depending on the target. For online rumors, common practices
include tracing misinformation origins, forensic analysis, and visual
indicators of image manipulation. Conversely, verification of public
figure statements frequently involves expert arbitration and direct
contact with misinformation sources. Additionally, the study
highlights substantial differences in fact-checking strategies across
countries and organizations, influenced by their focus and
institutional contexts. This research addresses a notable gap in the
literature by offering a comparative analysis of verification
strategies, providing a framework for future experimental research,
and offering guidance for fact-checkers and scholars to refine their
approaches to combating misinformation
articles from the TSE’s Fato ou Boato website to identify the falsehoods’ origins, targets, narratives, and deceptive strategies. Second, we conducted expert interviews and qualitatively examined official documents to explore counteraction strategies, particularly collaborations with fact-checkers. The findings indicate that disinformation primarily revolves around the alleged vulnerability of the electronic voting system (25%) and supposed illegal actions that have been committed by the TSE (15%). Supreme Federal
Court ministers, notably Luís Barroso and Alexandre de Moraes, have become frequent targets. Assaults on the TSE surged from 15% (2018) to 27% (2022). Strengthened collaboration with fact-checkers enhances their societal recognition and significance in the Brazilian public sphere.
Über welche Themen und Akteure wird am häufigsten berichtet? Entspricht die Darstellung der Realität? Folgt sie allgemeinen Trends der Auslandsberichterstattung; können beispielsweise Politik- und Elitenzentrierung oder ethnozentristische Tendenzen ausgemacht werden? Diese und weitere Fragen klärt die Autorin mit Hilfe einer quantitativen und qualitativen Inhaltsanalyse sowie anhand konkreter Beispiele für die am häufigsten behandelten Themen.