«Partout où il y a des gens qui parlent, il y a des fausses nouvelles» : perceptions des fausses nouvelles chez des Québécois.es d’opinions diversifiées sur la question
Particularly popularized during the 2016 American election campaign, the concept of fake news is not new, but has evolved over the last decade, in line with the digitization of media and the arrival of social networking platforms. The notion of fake news can be considered as polysemous, while there is no real consensus as to its definition, both among researchers and the general public. For some, it can be a question of false content taking on the appearance of “real” news, and for others, it is more a question of “bad” journalism. In Quebec, the phenomenon is well and truly present and worries experts and journalists, but we still know very little about Quebecers’ perceptions of the issue.  Using folk theories, this paper explored the perceptions of twelve Quebecers with diverse opinions on the issue of fake news and the media ecosystem. Through three focus groups, the participants demonstrated that they do not have a definition of the concept, but rather identify fake news through various cues or specific characteristics. They also shared some of their criticisms of the news media in Quebec, demonstrating a growing skepticism about the quality and veracity of news content. Some also said they have difficulty making a clear distinction between “real” and “fake” news. Finally, a majority felt that fake news was circulating not only on social networks, but also in the news media.
Fake news Folk theories Mass media in Quebec Social media Disinformation Trust in the media