Misinformation
Overview
Like many regions in the United States and other countries, Arizona faces a distinct blend of locally rooted misinformation and outside influences amplified by social media, with notable impacts on its diverse communities. Arizona is a battleground state (or "swing state"), painting a target for political misinformation on election integrity, voting processes, and ballot receipt. Additionally, Arizonans have received public health misinformation on heat-related illnesses, COVID-19, and vaccinations. Environmental misinformation has circulated on issues like water scarcity, wildfires, and climate change. There has also been misinformation surrounding immigration and border safety, especially surrounding false crime statistics and human trafficking statistics. Educational misinformation also appears as it concerns school curricula, book bans, and the history of Indigenous communities. Lastly, economic misinformation about the housing market and real estate trends has resulted in panic, inflation, and misconceptions.
Alongside national organizations, these state organizations listed below work to combat misinformation, educate others on media literacy, and build a stronger community.
Local Organizations
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Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting (AZCIR)AZCIR is Arizona's only independent, nonpartisan, and collaborative nonprofit newsroom dedicated to statewide, data-driven investigative reporting. AZCIR covers state and local government, education, public health, the environment, and public policy issues that impact the lives of Arizona residents. AZCIR partners with the nonprofit company Gigafact to correct misinformation that appears.
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Conecta ArizonaConecta Arizona is an innovative nonprofit news organization committed to the community it serves, both in the United States and in Mexico, across the border (especially in Sonora). Founded by Mexican journalist Maritza L. Felix on May 11, 2020, Conecta Arizona was born amidst the COVID-19 pandemic to verify information about COVID-19 and fight the misinformation and false news surrounding it. The purpose of Conecta Arizona is to serve the community, to which it offers rigorous information, freedom of opinion, an environment of intelligent conversation about the issues of the moment, and useful resources for daily life and community dialogue.
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The Media Information, Data, and Society (MIDaS) LabThe MIDaS Lab at Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication is an interdisciplinary lab that explores how the public navigates and makes sense of social, political, and global issues in a contemporary data and information-rich media environment. The lab produces socially impactful studies through data-intensive as well as theory-driven media research projects.
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Center on Narrative, Disinformation, and Strategic InfluenceIdentify media-ready experts based out of or affiliated with ASU's Center on Narrative, Disinformation, and Strategic Influence.
Arizona Reporting on Misinformation
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Misinformation rampant, remains a key issue in Arizona as 2024 election looms
KTAR, Nov 10, 2023, 4:45 AM | Updated: 9:59 am -
The Radio Station That Latino Voters Trust. With Arizona in the balance, a critical political conversation is taking place on the air.
(Re: Tony Arias, La Campesina)
The New Yorker, October 26, 2024 -
In battleground Arizona, a Latino radio station takes on the fight against political disinformation
Radio Campesina, founded by the civil rights icon and labor leader Cesar Chavez, wants to ensure the state's Hispanic voters are not dissuaded from casting their ballots. NBC News, Dec. 1, 2023, 12:42 PM MST (Re: Tony Arias, La Campesina) -
Arizona expects to be back at the center of election attacks. Its top officials are going on offense
Associated Press (AP), Updated 9:24 AM MST, March 23, 2024 -
Immigrants at risk of election misinformation
PBS Arizona, May 28, 2024 -
Fake Natives and a radio show spread misconceptions about Hopi spirituality for decades
KJZZ | By Sam Dingman
Published October 3, 2024 at 12:59 PM MST -
Arizona Now Has a Task Force Focused on Countering Disinformation
Slate, Dec 18, 2019 7:30 AM -
Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting’s fact briefs boost their traffic, complement their investigative journalism, and counter misinformation
The Gigafact Team, November 5, 2024