ABSTRACT

Debates around the sociocultural phenomenon known as “fake news” have gathered storm since the 2016 US Presidential elections. Our study problematises the notion of “truth” in a politically polarised and trust-deficit Zimbabwean society, where audiences are balkanised and pigeonholed into predefined filter bubbles. In order to make sense of this phenomenon during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, we fuse three analytical frameworks—Foucauldian discourse, social construction of the truth and peripheral actors in journalism. This is pertinent in a context where politicians often dismiss news disseminated through mainstream private and social media platforms as “fake”. This deployment of the term “fake news” as a (de)legitimation ritual creates the impression that there are certain media organisations whose civic duty is to dispense “authentic” news. Although the government of Zimbabwe presented itself as the “authentic” voice on issues related to COVID-19, inconsistencies were observed through our analysis. The article demonstrates the multiple and systemic layers and structures embedded within the discourse of “fake news” related to the mediation of COVID-19 in Zimbabwe. Our article also argues that the multiple regimes of (non)truth must be understood in the context of power relations between public officials, professional journalists and peripheral actors in journalism.

摘要

自 2016 年美国总统大选以来，围绕被称为“假新闻”的社会文化现象的争论已席卷而来。我们的研究对政治两极分化和信任缺失的津巴布韦社会中的“真相”概念提出了质疑，在这个社会中，观众被分道扬镳并被归类为预定义的过滤气泡。为了弄清 COVID-19 大流行高峰期间的这一现象，我们融合了三个分析框架——福柯话语、真相的社会建构和新闻界的外围行为者。这与政治家经常将通过主流私人和社交媒体平台传播的新闻斥为“假新闻”的背景有关。这种将“假新闻”一词用作（去）合法化仪式的做法给人的印象是，某些媒体组织的公民义务是分发“真实”新闻。尽管津巴布韦政府在与 COVID-19 相关的问题上自称是“真实”的声音，但通过我们的分析发现了不一致之处。这篇文章展示了嵌入在津巴布韦 COVID-19 调解相关的“假新闻”话语中的多个系统层次和结构。我们的文章还认为，必须在公职人员、专业记者和新闻界外围参与者之间的权力关系背景下理解（非）真相的多重制度。通过我们的分析观察到不一致。这篇文章展示了嵌入在津巴布韦 COVID-19 调解相关的“假新闻”话语中的多个系统层次和结构。我们的文章还认为，必须在公职人员、专业记者和新闻界外围参与者之间的权力关系背景下理解（非）真相的多重制度。通过我们的分析观察到不一致。这篇文章展示了嵌入在津巴布韦 COVID-19 调解相关的“假新闻”话语中的多个系统层次和结构。我们的文章还认为，必须在公职人员、专业记者和新闻界外围参与者之间的权力关系背景下理解（非）真相的多重制度。