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Bullshit and lies? How british and spanish political leaders add to our information disorder

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dc.contributor.authorLilleker, Darren
dc.contributor.authorPérez Escolar, Marta
dc.contributor.departmentComunicación
dc.contributor.otherFacultad de Comunicación y Documentación
dc.date.accessioned2026-02-23T08:32:56Z
dc.date.available2026-02-23T08:32:56Z
dc.date.copyright© 2023 The Author(s)
dc.date.issued2023-11-02
dc.description.abstractWithin what is known as the post-truth era, politicians strategically trade in alternative interpretations of data, make bold populist claims and on occasions be completely dishonest for party political gains. Such practices coincide with ever-declining trust in politicians and the democratic system, a phenomenon common to both Spain and the UK. We enquire whether public mistrust is deserved exploring the extent party leaders employ misinformation as part of their strategic communication. The paper analyses falsehoods made by political leaders as determined by major fact-checking sites EFE Verifica and Newtral in Spain, and the UK’s BBC Reality Check and Full Fact. We categorise falsehoods as misinformation, alternative facts, bullshit or lies. Results show right-wing parties most responsible for all forms of falsehoods, or they are most likely to face analysis from factcheckers. Falsehoods are used by governments defending their policies, but also by oppositions to attack the government; especially alternative facts. The overwhelming majority of policy attacks based on false information are from opposition parties, particularly Spanish parties on the right. The flagrant use of bullshit and lies, while simultaneously calling out their more mainstream opponents for similar practices, poisons the notion of democratic pluralism and makes low public trust seem perfectly justified.
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dc.format.extent21
dc.identifier.citationLilleker, Darren & Pérez-Escolar, Marta (2023). Bullshit and lies? How British and Spanish political leaders add to our information disorder. 'Javnost-The Public', 30(4), 566-585. https://doi.org/10.1080/13183222.2023.2244824
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1080/13183222.2023.2244824
dc.identifier.eissn1854-8377
dc.identifier.issn1318-3222
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10201/209662
dc.languageeng
dc.relationEstancias de movilidad en el extranjero «José Castillejo» para jóvenes doctores (referencia CAS21/00344)
dc.relation.publisherversionhttps://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13183222.2023.2244824
dc.rightsAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivates 4.0 International
dc.rights.accessRightsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
dc.subjectFact-checking
dc.subjectLies
dc.subjectFalsehood
dc.subjectMisinformation
dc.subjectPolitical parties
dc.subjectTrust
dc.subjectDisinformation
dc.subject.odsObjetivo 10: Reducir las desigualdades entre países y dentro de ellos
dc.subject.odsObjetivo 16: Paz y justicia
dc.subject.odsObjetivo 4: Educación
dc.titleBullshit and lies? How british and spanish political leaders add to our information disorder
dc.typeinfo:eu-repo/semantics/article
dc.type.versioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
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relation.isAuthorOfPublicationb1e334e3-20ae-473d-b2ef-0619ee28f3e0
relation.isAuthorOfPublication.latestForDiscoveryb1e334e3-20ae-473d-b2ef-0619ee28f3e0
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