FAKE NEWS CONSUMPTION AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the study Globally, fake news and disinformation have become recurring objects as the internet and social media are flooded with misinformation, and the credibility of the free press is continually being questioned as a result of their fast expansion, the difficulties and risks they produce. According to Guess, Nagler, and Tucker (2019), the early studies on this notion concentrated on political occurrences and quickly gave way to study on the influence of false news in other sectors of our everyday life, such as education, entertainment, health, and journalism, among others. Some scholars believe that disinformation began with the earliest writing systems (Tandoc, Lim, & Ling, 2017), while others (Posetti & Matthews, 2018) believe that it dates back to ancient Rome, when Octavian launched a smear campaign against Antony using short slogans written on coins, comparing it to an archaic Tweet. Most observers, however, date it back to World War II in 1945, notably to the Russian term dezinformatsiya, which was used by Soviet planners in the 1945 to characterise the broadcast (in the press, on the radio, etc.) of false news meant to mislead public opinion. Pennycook, Cannon, and Rand (2018) defined false news as "stories containing incomplete truths, tales that are speculative and not founded on evidence, and stories that we just do not agree with." According to Jang and Kim (2018), false news is a sort of journalism that includes purposeful disinformation. However, the spread of false news has occurred in a very specific informational and communicative environment, marked by digital noise, 'infoxication,' and information disorder, particularly current information overload resulting from our continual access to the Internet Wardle and Derakhshan (2017). Significantly, Generation Z (those born between 1996 and 2010) is the first generation to have never experienced a world without the Internet (Dimock, 2019). Their lives are shaped by the internet, which has evolved into a natural part of their daily existence. Despite this, multiple studies (Wineburg & McGrew, 2016) have shown that they are the most susceptible to bogus news. University students of tomorrow can be found among today's Generation Zers. Journalism and communication students are of particular importance since, in addition to belonging to the larger category of Generation Zers, they will soon be in charge of taking on the obligations inherent in the role of being a professional journalist and/or communicator. 1.2 Statement of the Problem In recent years, technology platforms such as social media have disrupted conventional journalism, and as a result, people' access to high-quality information is confronting significant difficulties, the most significant of which is misinformation and the propagation of false news. At contrast, in academic institutions, there are students from many fields who are digital natives as well as "internet addicts," as seen by their use of social media platforms. According to (Apuke & Ayih, 2020), undergraduates and their daily access to and time spent on social media allows them to leverage online platforms' capacity and ease of spreading fake news in comparison to traditional media, which is an important aspect of this study, and their addiction to the internet has greatly increased public vulnerability. Herrero-Diz, Conde-Jiménez, Tapia-Frade, and Varona-Aramburu (2019) find that university students in the Spanish area of Andalusia had trouble distinguishing between the truthfulness of the sources. Another study conducted in the Basque area (Mendiguren, Pérez Dasilva, & Meso Ayerdi, 2020) discovered that students are mostly informed online, and a large majority admits to have fallen victim to fake news at some point. Aside from the research cited, false news and how journalism students react to it remain an understudied issue, particularly in the Ibero-American setting, as Blanco Alfonso et al. (2019) point out. Ibero-America should be seen of as a'space' that extends beyond a simple geo-linguistic territory, tracing cultural, socio-political, and socioeconomic ties within it (Tejedor, Ventn, Cervi, Pulido, & Tusa, 2020). Along the same lines, several authors have emphasised the need of expanding one's understanding of this profession in the area. Based on this, the current study offers a diagnostic analysis of fake news consumption by university students, with a focus on Afe Babalola University students. 1.3 Aims/Objectives The main study objective will be to investigate fake news consumption among students of Afe Babalola University, The specific objectives of the study will include; 1. Determine the extent of news consumption among undergraduate students in Afe Babalola University 2. Ascertain whether students consume more of online news compare to other news sources. 3. Investigate whether students news seeking behavior contributes their exposure to fake news. 4. Find out whether prior exposure to fake news increases students’ perception of its accuracy. 5. Curtail the widespread of confusion among the students in Afe Babalola University. 1.4 Research Question 1. What is the extent of news consumption among undergraduate students in Afe Babalola University? 2. Does students consume more of online news compare to other news sources? 3. Does students news seeking behavior contributes to their exposure to fake news? 4. Does prior exposure to fake news increase students’ perception of its accuracy? 5. How can the widespread of confusion among the students in Afe Babalola University be curtailed? 1.5 Research Hypothesis The following hypothesis have been formulated for this study: H01: The extent of news consumption among undergraduate students in Afe Babalola University is low. H02: students news seeking behavior does not contributes to their exposure to fake news. 1.6 Significance of the study This study will be of benefits and interest not only to journalist in Nigeria, but it will be valuable to other service sectors in Nigeria as a whole. The study will be of great benefit to the researchers, journalists and the entire Nigeria to embrace the law in order to encourage professionalism and the ethnics of journalism. The outcome of this study will alert government, civil society organisations (CSOs) and all other pro-democratic groups on the need to enact strategies and mechanism for combating fake news in order to ensure quality journalism and a responsible expression by all. Academically, this research work will therefore advance knowledge. The academic community will use this work as a reference point and in the execution of similar studies. Again, journalists, editors, specialized groups, society, government etc. stand to gain immensely from the study. For the journalists, it provides them an ample opportunity to press for national development and enthronement of transparency in government. The government, through this study could harness the latent potency of the law as educated in it towards providing quality service to its citizens. In the same vein, the study is significant as it provide a platform for government press collaboration which if harnessed, can facilitate national development. The result of the study will also provide a framework for media practitioners that will enable them exercise a good information sharing behaviour basically for the fact that the success of every democracy rest on the media. It will also provide an insight for them to understand the effect of fake news on the democracy of the country. Furthermore, the outcome of the study will make available ready materials for policymakers towards censoring falsehood in both new and conventional media industry so that citizens can express their opinions responsibly for the greater good of democracy. 1.7 Scope of the study The study will determine the extent of news consumption among undergraduate students in Afe Babalola University. The study also ascertain whether students consume more of online news compare to other news sources. The study will further investigate whether students news seeking behavior contributes their exposure to fake news. More so, the study will find out whether prior exposure to fake news increases students’ perception of its accuracy. Lastly, the study will curtail the widespread of confusion among the students in Afe Babalola University. Hence this study is delimited to Afe Babalola University Ekiti State. 1.8 Limitation of the study Financial constraint Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview). Time constraint The researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for the research work 1.9 Definition of terms Fake news: is untrue information presented as news. It often has the aim of damaging the reputation of a person or entity, or making money through advertising revenue. Students: a person who is studying at a university or other place of higher education.