The COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN BRAZIL

CHRONICLE OF AN INFODEMIC FORETOLD

Abstract

Introduction: In December 2022, 693,853 deaths related to the COVID-19 pandemic were confirmed in Brazil (MS, 2025). The COVID-19 infodemic not only caused a crisis of confidence in Brazilian institutions and insecurity among the population, but also hampered the coordination of the response to the pandemic, which was treated as a political issue by a far-right federal government. Understanding the dynamics of the circulation of misinformation contributes to the development of strategies for dealing with similar situations in the future. The objective of this research is to understand the dynamics of the COVID-19 infodemic in Brazil based on pieces of misinformation addressed by the Brazilian fact-checking agencies Aos fatos and Lupa between January 2020 and July 2022. Theoretical framework: The term disinformation is often confused with the terms fake news and misinformation, revealing its polysemic nature. The main difference lies in the intentional nature of deceiving or confusing (Bennett & Livingston, 2018), of causing harm (Wardle, 2020; Dourado, 2021). Thus, its political objectives help to differentiate it from other terms (Segurado, 2021). Wardle (2020) points out seven types of disinformation that vary in severity and effort in relation to the intention to cause harm. Dourado (2021) highlights the importance of understanding the collective chain of transmission of disinformation and its strong political and emotional appeal. The author points to the possibility of fact-checking as an element of vulnerability or fragility, because it allows the denial to be exposed. The infodemic is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the overabundance of information that occurs during an epidemic and spreads through information systems, which can generate confusion, misinformation, and a crisis of mistrust in public health policies (WHO, 2020). In the case of the infodemic associated with COVID-19, UNESCO proposed classifying pieces of misinformation into nine themes: origins and spread of COVID-19; false and misleading statistics; economic impacts; discrediting of journalists and reliable news outlets; medical science (symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment); impacts on society and the environment; politicization; gain driven by fraudulent financial gain; and misinformation focusing on celebrities (Posetti; Bontcheva, 2020). A brief history of the COVID-19 infodemic in Brazil: The pandemic, both globally and locally, was accompanied by an infodemic. In Brazil, it “materialized in a flood of misinformation, with the federal government as an important source” (Segurado, 2021, pp.16). Among several situations, four illustrate the dispute over policies and narratives that took hold in the country: the discussion about the need for social isolation and the use of masks; the use of chloroquine and other drugs to prevent or treat the disease; the production of vaccines and their effectiveness compared to the alternative of achieving herd immunity; and the health crisis in Manaus (Amazonas) when there was a shortage of oxygen for patients (MS, 2020b; Brazil, 2020; Brazil, 2020; Shalders, 2020; Segurado, 2021). Methodological Procedures: The research is exploratory, with a qualitative-quantitative approach. Data collection took place in March 2023, from the websites of the fact-checking agencies Aos Fatos and Lupa, linked to the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN). Duplicate fake news and news that was not in Portuguese were eliminated.  A total of 789 and 405 pieces of misinformation were identified at Lupa and Aos Fatos, respectively, totaling 1,194. The material was then read and classified based on UNESCO's thematic division. Descriptive statistics and critical analysis were used for data analysis and interpretation. Results: The highest volume of verified pieces of misinformation occurred in the first year of the pandemic. It is observed that the three topics with the highest number of pieces of misinformation relate to medical science (symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment), followed by politicization and the use of false and misleading statistics. The medical science theme includes pieces associated with vaccines, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of the disease. Politicization grouped pieces that promoted the discrediting of the STF and politicians. Of particular note are pieces of misinformation aimed at damaging the image of the governor of São Paulo or his actions to combat the pandemic (such as the production of the Coronavac vaccine in partnership with the Chinese biopharmaceutical company Sinovac), making him one of the targets of the misinformation campaign (Dias, 2020; Segurado, 2021). On the topic of false and misleading statistics, the pieces question the number of deaths/hospitalizations. Some followed the presidential strategy of denying them or suggesting that they were inflated to favor the political interests of certain government officials (Segurado 2021). The analysis of the circulation of disinformation pieces reiterated the thematic division of UNESCO that guided the analysis of this study.  Final thoughts: The results of the research on the volume and classification of disinformation suggest a disinformation campaign with a certain degree of synchrony with what was being promoted by the federal government. Thus, it is in line with Segurado's (2021) view that the disinformation campaign was part of the government's political strategy. It is understood that the research allowed us to identify elements that illustrate the dispute over policies and narratives about the pandemic that took hold in the country and generated an environment of mistrust among the population. It also allowed us to understand the dynamics of circulation and disinformation and, thus, identify elements that can support action strategies to address similar situations in the future. Through the concept of information regime, it is possible to understand how power is exercised in and through social relations mediated by information and, in the case of the COVID-19 infodemic, this affects the discussion of health information policy and limits citizens' participation and understanding and their right to active participation in discussions related to public policies.