Czech disinformation websites published almost 200,000 online posts last year. Photo Credit: Freepik
Prague, Sept 20 (CTK) – Czech disinformation websites published almost 200,000 online posts last year, about 6% more than in 2020, according to the Czechia in Data project, which released the results of a new study today.
There are currently about 46 pro-Kremlin disinformation websites in the Czech Republic, which means that their number has dropped by more than one tenth. Those that remain, however, have become more active.
The analysis also indicates that fewer people believe they could distinguish disinformation from other media products.
The disinformation websites, which released 197,177 articles last year, have become much more sophisticated, especially in the last year, as they have focused on the design and other elements to better imitate serious media and thus appear more professional, said representatives from Czechia in Data. They noted, for example, that five of these websites use the number 24 in order to resemble the CT24 news website of the public broadcaster, Czech Television (CT).
While about two thirds of Czechs were certain they would be able to identify disinformation in the media space in 2018, it is now only 56%, the fourth lowest share among EU states. The analysis shows, however, that this is due to respondents comparing their ideas with the real world rather than a drop in Czech media literacy.
The main source of news for Czechs is television; about 15% of people in the Czech Republic get their information from websites and 5% of respondents said they did not watch the news at all.
The CVVM poll showed that 56% of Czechs did not trust the news on television, mainly private TV channels. Only 15% of Czechs consider private news channels a reliable source, while half of the Czech population trusts public television, the pollsters said.
