Young Researcher Develops a model for understanding information disorder ecosystem

A young researcher at Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism develops a model called SAMCAV model which is the first of its kind in the study of information disorder (popularly known as fake news) and also discovers the fourth typology of information disorder which he called dil-information. The research is the outcome of the six months research fellowship of the Kwame Kari-Kari Fact-checking and Research Fellowship which selected 17 researchers from four West African countries to research information disorder. The researcher called Isah Nasidi, an indigene of Kano state, Nigeria, is a PhD student of Mass Communication, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and the Secretary of Communication History Division of International Communication Association (USA).

The SAMCAV model links six elements of information disorder; the Source, Agent, Message, Channel, Audience and Victim. These elements are involved in the production, distribution and consumption of information disorder. Everyone of these elements plays a vital role in polluting information which makes it unsafe for consumption.
The model will help researchers and policy makers to know how disordered information flows and the effects it causes in the society.
Conventional communication models such as Harold Lasswell depicts communication as Who says What to Whom with what Effect. However, as abnormal as it is, the information disorder model depicts the flow as Who says What with what Intent through Who and What channel to Whom with what Effect.
Moreover, the work discovers the concept of ‘dil-information’, as the fourth type of information disorder which has never been considered as an independent typology separate from disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation.

Dil-information is defined as genuine information diluted with false information, misinterpreted or misrepresented with or without intent to harm. Terms like mostly true; half true; mostly false and misleading are used to classify claims of this nature.
The aim of the research is to set research agenda for scholars working in this virgin area and help in policy making and developing mechanism for solving the problem.

Isah Nasidi is a media consultant
and independent researcher.
isanyaya@gmail.com
08091753170