Far-Right Populists Spread Fake News More than Any Other Political Group

A new study reveals that far-right populists are significantly more likely to spread misinformation on social media compared to politicians from mainstream or far-left parties. The research argues that amplifying fake news has become a key strategy for radical right political movements.

“Radical right populists are using misinformation as a tool to destabilise democracies and gain political advantage,” said Petter Törnberg of the University of Amsterdam, a co-author of the study with Juliana Chueri of the Free University in Amsterdam.

“The findings underscore the urgent need for policymakers, researchers, and the public to understand and address the intertwined dynamics of misinformation and radical right populism,” Törnberg added.

The Study’s Methodology

The study analyzed the tweets of every member of parliament with a Twitter account (now X) from 26 countries between 2017 and 2022. This dataset included over 32 million tweets from 8,198 MPs.

The researchers compared these political tweets with international political science databases containing information about each party’s position on the political spectrum and their level of populism. They also used data from fact-checking and fake news-tracking services to assess the factuality of URLs shared by the MPs, creating a “factuality score” for each politician and party.

Far-Right Populism and Misinformation

The data revealed a clear connection between far-right populism and the spread of misinformation. This trend was not observed in center-right, center-left, or far-left populist parties.

Examples of far-right populist parties implicated in the study include Germany’s Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), the National Rally (RN) in France, and the Dutch Freedom Party (PVV). These parties have seen significant growth in recent years across Europe, with some even forming governments in several countries.

The Role of Alternative Media

The study highlighted the “symbiotic relationship” between far-right populists and “alternative” media.

“Radical-right populists have been effective in creating and utilising alternative media ecosystems that amplify their viewpoints,” Törnberg observed. “These ecosystems are amplifying misinformation and shaping far-right populist movements, strengthening their ideological messages, creating a sense of community among voters, and providing a counter-narrative to mainstream media.”

A Call to Action

The study’s findings underscore the urgency of addressing the problem of misinformation spread by far-right populist groups. It calls for a multi-pronged approach involving policymakers, researchers, and the public to combat the spread of fake news and protect democracy.