FACT-CHECKING EN YOUTUBE EN ESPAÑA: TIPOLOGÍA DE VERIFICACIONES EN VÍDEO EN 2021

Abstract

In recent years, the phenomenon of misinformation has gained relevance, both in society in general and in academia in particular. To combat disinformation, projects related to fact-checkers are one of the most successful alternatives. Due to the recent interest of the population in consuming information in video format and the increase in the popularity of YouTube, this research aims to identify the characteristics of the videos published by Spanish fact-checkers that achieve more visibility and interaction. To do this, following a mixed methodology combining qualitative and quantitative techniques, all the content published on YouTube by the Spanish fact-checkers linked to the IFCN throughout the year 2021 has been analysed. The results show differences in terms of the topics treated, but similarities in terms of the number and duration of the videos published. In addition, it has been observed that Spanish verifiers do not seem to follow a content creation strategy based on the interests of their audience.