No. 3 (40) (2022), Article
No. 3 (40) (2022)

The algorithm for detection of unreliable news sources and rumors in Telegram channels

Article
https://doi.org/10.21272/Obraz.2022.3(40)-94-100
Published 2022-10-04
Nataliia Steblyna
D.Sc. (Political Science), Professor, Vasyl’ Stus Donetsk National University, Vinnytsa, Ukraine
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9799-9786
PDF (Ukrainian)

Keywords

sources of information
professional standards of journalism
Telegram channels

How to Cite

Steblyna, N. (2022). The algorithm for detection of unreliable news sources and rumors in Telegram channels. Obraz, 3 (40), 94-100. https://doi.org/10.21272/Obraz.2022.3(40)-94-100
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Abstract

Introduction. Since February 24, the day of the full-scale invasion, Telegram channels have become extremely popular in Ukraine. At the same time, Russian propagandists continued to use this social network to spread disinformation and sow panic.

Relevance and purpose. Nowadays, it is very important to monitor the quality of the content distributed in Telegram, in particular, compliance with the reliability standard – the presence of clear references to verified sources. The purpose of the study is to develop a semi-automated method of analyzing the posts of the most popular regional Telegram channels to identify unreliable links and rumors. On the material of one of the most popular regional telegram channels of Odesa, «Odessa Info», the application of the algorithm for detecting unreliable news sources and rumors was demonstrated.

Methodology. To obtain the results, the method of analyzing the posts of Telegram channels for compliance with journalistic standards was used. The research combined automated data processing (searching for violations of the standard by keywords) and manual (analyzing the found posts by the researcher).

Results. As a result, it was found that for July-September 2022, keywords indicating the use of information from readers, unreliable links and rumors were contained in 11.3% of posts. The majority of messages that contained the keywords (42.6%) are not checked by the Telegram channel in any way. Only in 11.9% it was professional journalistic work – that is, a clear reference either to an official source (operational command, police, president), or to a quality mass media, an expert, etc.

Conclusions. Thus, in the vast majority of cases, the information provided by the Telegram channel is of poor quality. Content coming from readers, or rumors and speculation, in the vast majority of cases is either not verified, or is verified in violation of the methods of professional journalism.

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