Transforming Disinformation on Minorities Into a Pedagogical Resource: Towards a Critical Intercultural News Literacy

Abstract

Intercultural competence and diversity awareness are relevant to handling “fake news” related to minorities and migrants, thus preventing “othering” and stereotyping of vulnerable populations. Teachers and schools can play a central role in preventing the spread of far-right ideologies and the dissemination of false information and hate discourse. For that, bringing together intercultural competence and news literacy, conceptualised as “critical intercultural news literacy,” is needed to navigate disinformation related to minorities and their connection to polarising themes. In this article, we focus on false or misleading information published on online platforms that brings together two salient topics: the Covid-19 pandemic and minorities. We discuss the issues of concern around the transformation of such material into a didactic resource for the school context and we question whether such practice can (paradoxically) lead to reinforcing or reproducing its undesirable content, i.e., to the othering of school populations that are targeted by false or manipulative information. This leads us to discuss potential problems associated with the pedagogical use of false information by teachers and, in resonance with the theme of this thematic issue, we claim that inclusive media education should also be an education for diversity and inclusion, through the development of critical intercultural news literacy.

News discourses threatening multiculturalism in Ethiopian mainstream TV channels: Discourse historical approach

“…In these ways, the news coverage on mainstream TV channels in Ethiopia has endangered multiculturalism and influenced public perceptions by highlighting differences and conflicts that label specific groups as terrorists. The practice of scapegoating ethnic, linguistic, religious, and cultural minorities is not a new occurrence, but it becomes more prominent during times of crisis, as mentioned by Melo‐Pfeifer and Gertz [32] , 338]. This trend has been observed and replicated in the news media discourses in Ethiopia.…”

“…Scholars like Max Horkheimer, Theodor Adorno, and Herbert Marcuse have extensively explored critical theory, influenced by Marxism [ 25 , 26 ]. Adorno and Horkheimer argue that mass culture masks domination through cultural diversity yet perpetuates it in practice [ 27 , 32 ]. Siapera notes that this is attributed to the logic of enlightenment, which seeks to eliminate contradictions.…”

“…Hjarvard argues that in societies characterized by differentiation, the media plays a role in mediating consent through discursive negotiations, emphasizing the normative functions attributed to the media [ 35 ]. Additionally, Habermas's discourse theory of morality suggests that the validity of a norm is established through discourse [ 36 , 32 ]. This article specifically examines the normative aspects of news media.…”

Rethinking education in the light of post-truth “new” racism and xenophobia: the need for critical intercultural media and news literacy

“…a result of changing social norms that render it no longer acceptable openly to express racist views" (p. 200). In the context of post-truth, populism, misinformation and biased narratives that "scapegoat" vulnerable groups, reinforce stereotypes and amplify preexisting biases (Lilleker, 2018;Melo-Pfeifer and Dedecek Gertz, 2022). Moreover, post-truth environments can intensify social and political polarization, where individuals become entrenched in their own emotions and beliefs and are less open to cultural diversity (Zembylas, 2022).…”