B.C. Woman's Thesis Examines Wildfire Misinformation Amid Meta News Ban
Her thesis found conspiracy content made up 16.6% of Facebook discussion about the 2023 Bush Creek East wildfire after Canadian news disappeared.
- On Tuesday, Aug. 11, UBC Okanagan researcher Blair Visscher reported that Meta's Canadian news ban created an information vacuum, allowing conspiracy narratives to flourish during wildfire emergencies.
- Meta began stripping news from its platforms to avoid the Online News Act, causing official information to vanish from user feeds and leaving low-quality content to fill the void.
- During the 2023 Bush Creek East wildfire, conspiracy theories comprised 16.6% of Facebook discussions, as algorithmic deprioritization of official updates followed the COVID-19 pandemic, Visscher found.
- Visscher recommends officials and journalists use emotionally resonant, human-centered storytelling rather than traditional, emotionless updates to counter misinformation and better engage residents during wildfire crises.
- Algorithms prioritize divisive content to drive engagement, Visscher noted, and she holds little hope for Meta to change its profit-driven model despite the critical need for reliable wildfire information.
15 Articles
15 Articles
B.C. woman's thesis examines wildfire misinformation amid Meta news ban - Fort St. James Caledonia Courier
When the Bush Creek East wildfire was destroying homes in the Central Okanagan and raining embers upon Kelowna in the summer of 2023, the event was shocking not only to evacuees, but to observers across the country. Blair Visscher was shocked for more reasons than one. Visscher, a Vernon resident, had her eye on Facebook as many at the time did, looking for information about the rapidly unfolding emergency. What she saw there was troubling. Imag…
B.C. woman's thesis examines wildfire misinformation amid Meta news ban - Grand Forks Gazette
When the Bush Creek East wildfire was destroying homes in the Central Okanagan and raining embers upon Kelowna in the summer of 2023, the event was shocking not only to evacuees, but to observers across the country. Blair Visscher was shocked for more reasons than one. Visscher, a Vernon resident, had her eye on Facebook as many at the time did, looking for information about the rapidly unfolding emergency. What she saw there was troubling. Imag…
B.C. woman's thesis examines wildfire misinformation amid Meta news ban - Vanderhoof Omineca Express
When the Bush Creek East wildfire was destroying homes in the Central Okanagan and raining embers upon Kelowna in the summer of 2023, the event was shocking not only to evacuees, but to observers across the country. Blair Visscher was shocked for more reasons than one. Visscher, a Vernon resident, had her eye on Facebook as many at the time did, looking for information about the rapidly unfolding emergency. What she saw there was troubling. Imag…
B.C. woman's thesis examines wildfire misinformation amid Meta news ban - The Ashcroft
When the Bush Creek East wildfire was destroying homes in the Central Okanagan and raining embers upon Kelowna in the summer of 2023, the event was shocking not only to evacuees, but to observers across the country. Blair Visscher was shocked for more reasons than one. Visscher, a Vernon resident, had her eye on Facebook as many at the time did, looking for information about the rapidly unfolding emergency. What she saw there was troubling. Imag…
Red Deer Advocate
B.C. woman's thesis examines wildfire misinformation amid Meta news ban
When the Bush Creek East wildfire was destroying homes in the Central Okanagan and raining embers upon Kelowna in the summer of 2023, the event was shocking not only to evacuees, but to observers across the country. Blair Visscher was shocked for more reasons than one. Visscher, a Vernon resident, had her eye on Facebook as many at the time did, looking for information about the rapidly unfolding emergency. What she saw there was troubling. Imag…
B.C. woman's thesis examines wildfire misinformation amid Meta news ban - Northern Sentinel
When the Bush Creek East wildfire was destroying homes in the Central Okanagan and raining embers upon Kelowna in the summer of 2023, the event was shocking not only to evacuees, but to observers across the country. Blair Visscher was shocked for more reasons than one. Visscher, a Vernon resident, had her eye on Facebook as many at the time did, looking for information about the rapidly unfolding emergency. What she saw there was troubling. Imag…
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