In Defense of Public Debate: State and Social Instruments Against Media Disinformation in Western Democracies
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21142/DES-1803-2026-e0069Keywords:
Disinformation, media regulation, democracy, public policy, media literacyAbstract
Disinformation threatens democratic stability by eroding public trust and deliberation. With the objective of examining how democratic systems regulate media information production, this article characterizes forms of institutionalization and mechanisms of state and societal control. Methodologically, it conducts a documentary analysis of 1,913 civil and institutional proposals in Western democracies since 2000, grounded in communication and public opinion theory, to build a deductive typology of policy instruments and civic initiatives. Key results show an overrepresentation of studies on social media and less attention to traditional media. In conclusion, strategies aimed at ensuring media independence and autonomy from interests are most common but show limited effectiveness; integrated approaches that combine self-regulation, accountability, and media literacy are needed.
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