Project description
Creating a more equitable information landscape
Our world is more connected than ever. However, access to digital news doesn’t guarantee equitable information consumption. Funded by the European Research Council, the INEQNEWS project addresses the growing disparities in how people consume news, acquire political knowledge and confront misinformation. It will identify digital inequalities in news consumption, political knowledge and vulnerability to misinformation in both global north and global south countries. In addition to examining long-standing informational inequalities related to social class, gender and age, the project will analyse the role of digital intermediaries and mobile devices in shaping news consumption. It will also explore how disadvantaged populations navigate the complex digital media landscape in order to test digital public health interventions.
Objective
This projects vision is to understand and develop strategies to mitigate inequalities in digital news consumption, the acquisition of political knowledge and vulnerability to misinformation. While inequalities in digital news access have been lowered with very high levels of internet access in many countries, there are indications that inequalities in digital news use and the benefits of being exposed to it, like the acquisition of political knowledge, are increasing. Academic literature has been instrumental in describing how digital intermediaries (e.g. social media or search engines) and different modes (mobile devices) have changed the way people consume news, however little attention has been given to how these changes manifest against the backdrop of pre-existing social inequalities in news use and the acquisition of political information. Thus, the project will a) reliably identify digital inequalities in news use, the acquisition of political knowledge, and vulnerability in online misinformation in countries of the Global North and the Global South. In its examination it will focus on b) long-standing informational inequalities related to social class, gender, and age and c) the role of new information technologies like digital intermediaries and mobile devices. Apart from identifying people with low levels of news use, this project will d) explore the ways that parts of the population navigate and face disadvantages in a complex digital media environment. Last, this project, will for the first time, e) test digital public health style interventions that could reduce inequalities in digital news use, political knowledge, and exposure to as well as belief in online misinformation. To achieve these objectives, this project will employ a novel set of methods. Overall, this project will be the first to examine and to find ways to alleviate inequalities in digital news use, using a holistic mixed-methods approach in a Global North/South comparative framework.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2022-STG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
1050 BRUSSEL
Belgium
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.