Introduktion: Kommunikation om vaccinets effekter är av stor folkhälsovetenskaplig relevans. På det svenska onlineforumet Flashback diskuterar användare huruvida vaccin gör människor sjuka. Dagligen förekommer desinformationsspridning både medvetet och omedvetet på internet. Syfte: Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur desinformation relaterad till hälsoinformation om vaccin diskuteras på Flashback Forum. Metod: Livsberättelser i tråden på forumet utgör den narrativa analysen och som tillsammans med en diskursanalys tolkas vad som framförs i diskussionerna mellan användare. För att gå ett steg längre i diskursanalysen, som härrör Foucaults teori om maktrelationer, har analysfrågor använts som grundar sig i vad som är det representerade problemet i diskussionerna som förs. För att fastställa vilka dilemman som framställs, vad gäller hälsoinformation och vaccin på Flashback, användes en tematisk analys. Därefter analyseras vilka antaganden som framförs, vilken orsak som ligger till grund i problemet och till sist vad som lämnas outtalat och underförstått i diskussionerna. Resultat: Det framkom fem teman i diskussionerna, vilka utgör läkemedelsindustrin, desinformationsspridning, autism/adhd, vetenskapliga studier samt hälsofarliga ämnen. Främsta resultatet handlade om outtalade rädslor vilket kan bero på låg hälsolitteracitet hos användare. Slutsats: När data analyserats och resultatet framträdde framkom en förståelse i att diskussionerna om hälsoinformation och vaccin på Flashback snarare handlade om missinformation och inte desinformationsspridning. Vilket betyder att användare omedvetet sprider information om vaccin och dess effekter som inte är evidensbaserade. / Introduction: Communication and discussion about the effect of vaccines are of great interest from the perspective of public health science. On the Swedish online forum Flashback, users discussed whether vaccines are the cause of sickness. Everyday, misinformation is spread both consciously and unconsciously online. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate how misinformation, related to vaccine health information, is discussed on the Flashback forum. Method: The narrative analysis consists of life stories discussed on the forum. Together with a discourse analysis, this is the basis of the interpretation of what is presented in the discussions between users. The discourse analysis is derived from Foucault’s theory of power relations, and, to take the discourse analysis one step further, analysis questions, concerning the problem represented in the discussions, have been used. A thematic analysis was used in order to determine which dilemmas, regarding health information and vaccines on Flashback, are presented. Further, an analysis was performed regarding which assumptions were made, what the cause of the problem is and lastly, what was left unspoken and assumed in the discussions. Results: Five themes emerged in the discussions. These were the pharmaceutical industry, the spread of disinformation, autism/adhd, scientific studies and unhealthy substances. The main finding/result was about unspoken fears, which may be due to low health literacy among users. Conclusion: When the data was analyzed and the results emerged, it became apparent that the discussions about health information and vaccines on Flashback were about misinformation rather than the spread of disinformation. This means that users are unknowingly spreading information about vaccines and their effects that are not evidence-based.

(English) The purpose of this diploma thesis was to analyze a role of Sputnik Česká republika (Sputnik Czech Republic) website as an information source in the ecosystem of the so-called alternative media. The main research method was quantitative content analysis. In the practical part of the work - using available metadata sraped with Outwit Hub -, this thesis described content of articles published on Sputnik Česká republika and other selected alternative media. Next, with the use of online marketing tools and other sources, it compared similarities of content and user behaviour. Next, it compared similarities of content and user behaviour on a sample of selected websites. The result of this was evaluation of possible importance of Sputnik Česká republika in the ecosystem of alternative media and pointing out some new elements and connections within this system. Possible usage of this thesis comprises follow-up research and education in fields of information and media literacy, especially in the issue evaluation of information sources.

SammanfattningI  denna  studie  utforskas  kapaciteterna  och  begränsningarna  hos  avancerade  stora språkmodeller (SSM), med särskilt fokus på ChatGPT-4 och Google Bard. Studien inleds med att ge en historisk bakgrund till artificiell intelligens och hur denna utveckling har lett fram till skapandet av dessa modeller. Därefter genomförs en kritisk analys av deras prestanda i språkbehandling och problemlösning. Genom att evaluera deras effektivitet i hanteringen av nyhetsinnehåll och sociala medier, samt i utförandet av kreativa uppgifter som pussel, belyses deras förmåga inom språklig bearbetning samt de utmaningar de möter i att förstå nyanser och utöva kreativt tänkande.I denna studie framkom det att SSM har en avancerad förmåga att förstå och reagera på komplexa språkstrukturer. Denna förmåga är dock inte utan begränsningar, speciellt när det kommer till uppgifter som kräver en noggrann bedömning för att skilja mellan sanning och osanning. Denna observation lyfter fram en kritisk aspekt av SSM:ernas nuvarande kapacitet, de är effektiva inom många områden, men möter fortfarande utmaningar i att hantera de finare nyanserna i mänskligt språk och tänkande. Studiens resultat betonar även vikten av mänsklig tillsyn vid användning av artificiell intelligens (AI), vilket pekar på behovet av att ha realistiska förväntningar på AI:s kapacitet och betonar vidare betydelsen av en ansvarsfull utveckling  av  AI,  där  en  noggrann  uppmärksamhet  kring etiska  aspekter  är  central.  En kombination av mänsklig intelligens och AI föreslås som en lösning för att hantera komplexa utmaningar, vilket bidrar till en fördjupad förståelse av avancerade språkmodellers dynamik och deras roll inom AI:s bredare utveckling och tillämpning.

Ekofeminism figurerar i både politiska och filosofiska sammanhang och är en ideologi som kombinerar feminism med miljöpolitik. Den bygger sin ideologi på att motarbeta ett patriarkalt förtryck mot både kvinnor och natur och säger att detta förtryck härrör från en historisk föreställning om kvinnan som stående närmare naturen. Den vita mannens självupphöjande till Gud under industrialismen använde denna historiska föreställning i ett rättfärdigande av ett maktutövande gentemot både kvinnor och natur som sägs leva kvar i allra största grad än idag. Genom att betrakta hur svensk tryckt press framställt ekofeminism mellan åren 1995-2016 har denna uppsats ämnat utröna om detta maktförhållande lever kvar och hur det tar sig uttryck. Uppsatsen undersöker även om det medieras en diskurs om ekofeminism i svensk tryckt press. Centrala frågeställningar: Hur framställs ekofeminism i svensk tryckt press mellan åren 1995-2016 ? Vilka maktstrukturer framträder runt ekofeminism och vilka personer kommer till tals? Varför skrevs inget alls om ekofeminism under 5 av de 11 undersökta åren ? Metoder: För att ta reda på detta har denna uppsats använt sig av triangulering som övergripande metod innehållande en kvantitativ analys, innehållsanalys och analys av visuell kommunikation. Slutsatser: Denna uppsats kommer fram till att förtrycket lever kvar och visar sig tydligt i relationen mellan svensk tryckt press och ekofeminism. Ekofeminismen framställs som svårbegriplig för allmänheten och blandas ofta ihop med särartsfeminism i vad som tycks vara ett strategiskt syfte att genom desinformation utöva förtryck. / The silent years: ecofeminism in Swedish printed press 1995-2016 Ecofeminism figures in both political and philosophical contexts and is an ideology that combines feminism with environmental policy. It builds its ideology to counteract a patriarchal oppression against both women and nature, saying that this oppression stems from a historical perception of the woman standing closer to nature. The self-elevation of the white man to God during the industrialism era used this historical image in the justification to exercise power towards both women and nature, which is said to be ongoing to the greatest extent today. By considering how Swedish printed press depict ecofeminism between the years 1995-2016, this paper has been designed to determine if this relationship of power remains and define how it is expressed. The essay also investigates whether a discourse on ecofeminism is mediated in Swedish press. Central Issues: How is ecofeminism produced in Swedish printed press between 1995 and 2016? What power structures appear around ecofeminism and who get their voices heard? Why was nothing written about ecofeminism for 5 of the 11 investigated years? Methods: To find this out, this essay has used triangulation as an overarching method containing quantitative analysis, content analysis and analysis of visual communication. Conclusions: This essay indicate that the repression remains and becomes evident in the relationship between Swedish press and ecofeminism. Ecofeminism is expressed as difficult for the public and is often confused with specificity feminism in what appears to be a strategic goal of repression by means of disinformation. / <p>Betygssättande lärare: Per Vesterlund. Formell examinator för kursen: Eva Åsén Ekstrand.</p>

This research explores how community-centered solutions facilitate the success and ownership of the response actions to deal with a public health emergency, such as the Covid-19 pandemic. When an outbreak or a hazard impacts a group of people, there is a strong need for communication in order to be able to access to the right information that takes people to make the correct decision and thus to take a protective action to be safe. This approach, known as Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE)[1], allows the co-production of knowledge needed for a group of people to remain safe. For this approach, social listening tools, such as media monitoring and community feedback collection are critical understand communities’ needs. Its analysis allows to tailor a RCCE strategy that is able to substantially reduce the threat that a public health emergency poses to human lives[2].  Communities need solutions that are adapted to their needs in order to be able to deal with any emergency, including the Covid-19 pandemic. The RCCE approach empowers communities and provides them with the tools to amplify their voices. This participatory approach allows them to co-produce knowledge and get full ownership of the solutions.  Nevertheless, in an environment with excess of information, it may not be easy to discern the truth from the false. Unverified information and rumors are frequent and social media channels facilitate their rapid dissemination without borders. ‘Infodemic’ refers to an excessive amount of information concerning a problem such that the solution is made more difficult. (WHO, 2020)[3]  Some rumors may encourage people to take wrong decisions and perform actions that exacerbate risks during an emergency. The RCCE approach helps to promote real-time exchange of information to avoid that rumors and disinformation flourish. (WHO, 2018)[4]. It also allows to identify and implement community-centered solutions to communities’ problems.  RCCE needs data to monitor and evaluate its activities and reach effectively populations in risk to encourage them to observe the health preventive measures. Lives at risk depends on the right information conveyed through the right channel at the right time. To be able to supply tailored and accurate information to those communities and engage them, evidence-based RCCE strategies are needed, respecting the socio-anthropological and cultural context of the community. This research is based on the findings from five African countries -Cabo Verde, Cameroon, the Gambia, Mozambique and Niger-, all of them seriously affected by current Covid-19 pandemic. Its conclusions help to understand the critical role that RCCE plays in health emergencies resilient recovery.   [1] World Health Organization (WHO) (‎2020)‎. Risk communication and community engagement (‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎RCCE)‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎ readiness and response to the 2019 novel coronaviruses (‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎2019-‎‎nCoV)‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎: interim guidance, 26 January 2020. Geneva: WHO. [2] Risk Communication is one of the eight core functions of the International Health Regulations (2005) [3] World Health Organization (WHO) (‎2020)‎. Infodemic management: a key component of the COVID-19 global response. Weekly Epidemiological Record 95 (‎16)‎, 145 - 148. World Health Organization.  [4] World Health Organization (WHO) (2018). Communicating Risk in Public Health Emergencies - A WHO Guideline for Emergency Risk Communication (ERC) policy and practice. Geneva: World Health Organization.

Public trust in the social system and media is falling. Media transformation, new media and social networks point to developments in postmodern societies which have accelerated trust erosion. Fragmentarization and social inequality fundamentally influence the order of today's world, even through the media. I focus in this work on how the trust or distrust in media and media discourse is constructed, what the relationship is between media and trust, how they intertwine and interact with each other. I describe the trust concept from its past history to the present, its meaning and principles of construction in media discourse. I highlight in a case study a concrete mediation of (dis)trust and its construction in the media coverage of the Czech alternative website Parlamentí listy as well as the topic of disinformation in the mainstream media. Based on this analysis, I also describe which social products the mistrust mediation brings and what the future development looks like. I also focus on social inequality as a significant cause of trust erosion, confidence in the media and also ontological security.

Cette thèse vise à mieux définir ainsi qu'à mieux évaluer les stratégies de tromperie et de manipulation de l'information. Des ressources conceptuelles, formelles et expérimentales sont combinées en vue d'analyser des cas standards de tromperie, tels que le mensonge, mais aussi non-standards, tels que les inférences trompeuses et l'omission stratégique. Les aspects définitionnels sont traités en premier. J'analyse la définition traditionnelle du mensonge en présentant des résultats empiriques en faveur de cette définition classique (dite 'définition subjective'), contre certains arguments visant à défendre une 'définition objective' par l'ajout d'une condition de fausseté. J'examine ensuite une énigme logique issue de R. Smullyan, et qui porte sur un cas limite de tromperie basé sur une règle d'inférence par défaut pour tromper un agent par omission. Je traite ensuite des aspects évaluatifs. Je pars du cadre existant pour l'évaluation du renseignement et propose une typologie des messages fondée sur les dimensions descriptives de vérité (pour leur contenu) et d'honnêteté (pour leur source). Je présente ensuite une procédure numérique pour l'évaluation des messages basée sur les dimensions évaluatives de crédibilité (pour la vérité) et de fiabilité (pour l'honnêteté). Des modèles numériques de plausibilité servent à capturer la crédibilité a priori des messages puis des règles numériques sont proposées pour actualiser ces degrés selon la fiabilité de la source. / This thesis aims at improving the definition and evaluation of deceptive strategies that can manipulate information. Using conceptual, formal and experimental resources, I analyze three deceptive strategies, some of which are standard cases of deception, in particular lies, and others non-standard cases of deception, in particular misleading inferences and strategic omissions. Firstly, I consider definitional aspects. I deal with the definition of lying, and present new empirical data supporting the traditional account of the notion (called the ‘subjective definition’), contradicting recent claims in favour of a falsity clause (leading to an ‘objective definition’). Next, I analyze non-standard cases of deception through the categories of misleading defaults and omissions of information. I use qualitative belief revision to examine a puzzle due to R. Smullyan about the possibility of triggering a default inference to deceive an addressee by omission. Secondly, I consider evaluative aspects. I take the perspective of military intelligence data processing to offer a typology of informational messages based on the descriptive dimensions of truth (for message contents) and honesty (for message sources). I also propose a numerical procedure to evaluate these messages based on the evaluative dimensions of credibility (for truth) and reliability (for honesty). Quantitative plausibility models are used to capture degrees of prior credibility of messages, and dynamic rules are defined to update these degrees depending on the reliability of the source.

The thesis is focused on currently widely discussed topic of the Russian hybrid warfare. It examines how the discourse surrounding this topic in the Czech Republic unfolded and how certain actors, primarily the think-tank European Values, have securitized the issue of the Russian hybrid warfare. The thesis is grounded in the securitization theory developed by the Copenhagen School. The international context is also discussed, since the discourses about the Russian hybrid warfare against the West are interconnected and the interest in this subject have risen after the annexation of Crimea and especially after the Russian interference into the U.S. presidential election in 2016. The case study of the documents related to the Russian hybrid warfare published by the think-tank European Values is central to this project. Institutional mistrust is a crucial underlying cause driving the success of disinformation campaigns and creates an opportunity for the hybrid efforts. However, this thesis attempts to explain, how securitization of the Russian hybrid warfare can be unhelpful or even detrimental to the goal of facilitating a greater trust in institutions.

This thesis examines the correlation between the Swedish National Library Strategy and the Swedish National Security Strategy. These strategies originates from two different political fields that seemingly has nothing to do with each other. However, in the Swedish National Library Strategy, it states that public libraries in Sweden should be a part of the nation’s civil defense, and therefore be a part of Sweden’s total defense system. In the National Library Strategy, libraries are considered vital in order to sustain a strong democracy, this is described through the libraries focus on educating citizens in media and information literacy (MIL), as well as the librarians role as an independent and neutral information intermediary. Libraries would therefore enrich the civil defense through a crisis, or a wartime situation. However, in the National Security Strategy the vital role of public libraries within the defense system is not being discussed. The statement from the National Library Strategy has been met with a lot of questions and dispute. The reactions of the statement is in fact the premise of this thesis. The subsequent ignorance of the statement requires further knowledge, which this thesis establish. A comparative qualitative content analysis is applied to find similarities and differences between the two political fields, in order to understand the statement made in the Swedish National Library Strategy. The source material of this thesis consists of these two strategies, as well as further selected reports and research papers that is linked to the two strategies. The results of this thesis show that there is a communal discussion about threat scenarios, and that there are a mutual goal of a strong upheld democracy in both of the policies. However, the results show that there are differences in how to encounter and overcome the threats. This is a two years master’s thesis in Library and Information Science.

Disinformation is a growing problem in a fast changing world, where technology today contributes to the spread of false and sometimes directly harmful information. Within the field of international security studies there is an ongoing theoretical conflict over whether or not security ought to be expanded to include issues that otherwise do not concern the traditional state and military-centric approach. One such issue is the multifaceted phenomenon disinformation, which some claim has little or no meaning and relevancy within the international arena. This is because it mainly influences individuals. Nevertheless, the EU has still initiated security work to combat disinformation. The main purpose of this study is to describe and illustrate how disinformation is defined within the EU’s security framework. Applying David. A Baldwins conceptual dimensions and ideal types and anchoring them in the prominent theories realism, liberalism and constructivism, the study aims to describe and illustrate how EU views disinformation in its pursuit for security. The study later shows that disinformation needs to be affirmed and taken more seriously by the international community.