Disinformation Campaigns Targeting Migrants in the Western World During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Year 2023, Issue: 11 - Theme: Disinformation, 127 - 156, 16.12.2023

Burçak Dengiz

https://doi.org/10.54722/iletisimvediplomasi.1376254

Abstract

In the digital age, technological advancements have revolutionised the way individuals connect and share information, yet this same era has ushered in a surge of disinformation. The unprecedented threat of Covid-19 not only posed a worldwide health emergency but also intensified the crisis of disinformation. This study delves into the complex web of disinformation, with a particular focus on its intersection with anti-migrant sentiments and policies in the Western world amidst the Covid-19 health crisis. It analyses specific disinformation campaigns that have targeted migrants in Western countries during the Covid-19 period, with a particular emphasis on examples from Europe and the United States (U.S.). The research sample comprises statements released by far-right groups and political leaders in the early phases of the Covid-19 pandemic, covering the period from January 2020 to December 2020. For this study, the main data source was collected from various media outlets, including online magazines, newspaper platforms, and articles. The rhetoric of far-right groups and politicians in the West was analysed and evaluated within the framework of critical discourse analysis. The study reveals that certain politicians and political groups in the West, through disinformation, legitimise their anti-immigrant stance, making immigrants scapegoats by instrumentalising Covid-19 to gain support. It further highlights that these identified political figures and groups, characterised by populist and far-right tendencies, depict immigrants as a threat by establishing a connection between immigrants and the rapid progression of the epidemic and seeking to legitimise anti-immigrant policies.

Keywords

disinformation, migrants, COVID-19, far-right, infodemic

Covid-19 Pandemisi Sırasında Batı Dünyasında Göçmenleri Hedef Alan Dezenformasyon Kampanyaları

Abstract

Dijital çağda, teknolojik gelişmeler bireylerin bağlantı kurma ve bilgi paylaşma yöntemlerinde devrim yaratmıştır. Ancak aynı çağ dezenformasyonun da artmasına neden olmuştur. Covid-19 tehdidi sadece küresel bir sağlık krizi oluşturmakla kalmamış, aynı zamanda dezenformasyon krizini de yoğunlaştırmıştır. Bu çalışma, Covid-19 salgını sırasında Batı dünyasındaki göçmen karşıtı söylem ve politikalarla kesişmesine özellikle odaklanarak karmaşık dezenformasyon ağını incelemektedir. Covid-19 döneminde Batı ülkelerindeki göçmenleri hedef alan belirli dezenformasyon kampanyalarını, Avrupa ve Amerika Birleşik Devletleri’ndeki örneklere özellikle vurgu yaparak analiz etmektedir. Araştırma örneklemi, Covid-19 salgınının erken evrelerinde Ocak 2020'den Aralık 2020'ye kadar olan dönemi kapsayan ve aşırı sağcı gruplar ile siyasi liderler tarafından yapılan açıklamalardan oluşmaktadır. Bu çalışma için ana veri kaynağı, çevrim içi dergiler, gazete platformları ve makaleler dâhil olmak üzere çeşitli medya kuruluşlarından oluşmaktadır. Batı'daki aşırı sağcı grupların ve siyasetçilerin söylemleri eleştirel söylem analizi çerçevesinde incelenmiş ve değerlendirilmiştir. Bu itibarla çalışma, Batı'daki bazı politikacıların ve siyasi grupların dezenformasyon yoluyla göçmen karşıtı duruşlarını meşrulaştırdıklarını ve destek kazanmak için Covid-19'u araçsallaştırarak göçmenleri günah keçisi hâline getirdiklerini ortaya koymaktadır. Ayrıca, popülist ve aşırı sağ eğilimlerle karakterize edilen bu siyasi figür ve grupların, göçmenler ile salgının hızlı ilerleyişi arasında bir bağlantı kurarak göçmenleri bir tehdit olarak tasvir ettikleri ve göçmen karşıtı politikaları meşrulaştırmaya çalıştıklarını vurgulamaktadır.

Keywords

dezenformasyon, göçmenler, COVID-19, aşırı sağ, infodemi

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