Fake News in Saudi Arabia: A Qualitative Study on How Saudi Journalists Address Fake News Published on Social Media

The proliferation of fake news on social media has become a concern for manycountries due to its adverse effects on various areas, such as the economy, politics, health, and society. In light of the growing use of social media in Saudi Arabia, numerous media outlets actively utilize social media platforms to collect and disseminate news and information. As a result, Saudi journalists have faced various challenges, including the spread of fake news. Therefore, this study explores how Saudi journalists define and verify fake news published on social media and the challenges they face. Furthermore, this study explores journalists’ role perceptions in society concerning spreading fake news and how they can promote media literacy to the audience. This study employed in-depth qualitative interviews with 14 journalists from various Saudi printing and online newspapers. The thematic analysis of the interviews showed that Saudi journalists define fake news in several ways, encompassing three essential elements: source, content, and timing. In addition, the study found that journalists primarily use traditional verification practices to verify fake news published on social media, followed by new verification practices. The findings showed that Saudi journalists face challenges at all levels of the hierarchy of influence model. Moreover, the findings identify three different roles journalists perceive in society regarding fake news published on social media: disseminators, populist mobilizers, and interpreters. Lastly, the study found that journalists lack media literacy knowledge but are willing to cooperate with other government institutions to promote and distribute media literacy among the public.