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Part of
Conspiracy Theory Discourses
Edited by Massimiliano Demata, Virginia Zorzi and Angela Zottola
[Discourse Approaches to Politics, Society and Culture 98] 2022
► pp. 193–214

Chapter 9
Complementary concepts of disinformation

Conspiracy theories and ‘fake news’

 | Open University
This chapter looks at the relationship between two distinct but related forms of disinformation currently widespread in political discourse: ‘fake news’ and conspiracy theories. Both play a significant role in the promotion and circulation of forms of false information which are considered by many as a threat to civil society. They are both frequently co-opted as means of political persuasion, often for propaganda purposes. Despite their similarities, the two exist as distinct genres of disinformation. The aim of the chapter is to analyse the nature of their similarities and differences as rhetorical tools in order to provide a more nuanced picture of the role they both play in contemporary politics.
Keywords: fake news, disinformation, propaganda, rhetoric, persuasion, genre
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction: Contrasting categories of disinformation
  • 2.Definitions, differences and similarities
  • 3.Conspiracy theories as a genre
    • Purpose (or goal)
    • Outlook (or worldview)
    • Narrative
    • Structure
    • Idiom
    • Context
    • Resources
    • Expectations
  • 4.A return to ‘fake news’
  • 5.‘Stop the Steal’
  • 6.Conclusion
  • References
Published online: 1 December 2022
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/dapsac.98.09sea
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