This Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (RISJ) factsheet provides top-level usage statistics for the most popular sites that independent fact-checkers and other observers have identified as publishers of fake news and online disinformation in France and Italy. The study is based on a sample of 300 websites in each country that independent fact-checkers have identified as publishers of fake news, focusing on a measure of the sites' reach, attention and number of Facebook interactions. The study provides context by comparing these figures with data from an equivalent selection of widely-used French and Italian news brands.
Highlights:
- The study found that none of the false news websites had an average monthly reach of over 3.5 per cent in 2017, with most having a reach of less than 1 per cent of the online population in both France and Italy. In comparison the most popular news sites in France (Le Figaro) and Italy (La Republica) had an average monthly reach of 22.3 per cent and 50.9 per cent respectively.
- The total time spent on fake news sites is less than time spent on news websites. The most popular fake news sites in France were viewed for around 10 million minutes per month, and for 7.5 million minutes in Italy. People spent around 178 million minutes per month with Le Monde (France) and 443 million minutes with La Republica (Italy).
- Facebook interactions for fake news sites matched or exceeded the engagement with most popular news brands in both countries. In France, one false news outlet had an average of over 11 million interactions per hour – five times greater than a more established news brand. However, in most cases, in both France and Italy, the fake news sites don't generate as many interaction as established news brands