Maldita.es and the Pluralism and Coexistence Foundation will investigate the hoaxes that affect religious minorities and the hate speech that feeds them

The Foundation for Pluralism and Coexistence is a public institution whose goal is to strengthen religions in order to guarantee the effective exercise of religious freedom. Together with her, we are launching the research «How disinformation feeds hate speech: xenophobia and religious intolerance» within the Maldita Migración project, supported by Oxfam Intermón.

For four months we will study how disinformation affects religious minorities in Spain, from its creation to its implementation in the collective imagination: who are the most affected communities, which messages move around them, which are the most recurrent, in which format they move (photos, videos, WhatsApp chains), their viralization and how these messages affect them in their daily lives.

This study will be coordinated by Yuly Jara of Maldita Migración, with the collaboration of Natalia Diez of Maldito Bulo and Stéphane M. Grueso, coordinator of Maldita Educa. It will take the form of an academic article led by Raúl Magallón Rosa (1979), author of «Unfaking News. How to Combat Disinformation» and Professor at the Communication Department of the Carlos III University of Madrid. Magallón holds a degree in journalism and a doctorate with European mention from the Complutense University of Madrid. His research focuses on the study of disinformation and press-state relations.

Here are the contest rules. Here is the resolution. Here is the evaluation document.*

What can you do to participate?

This research will only be possible with the help of the entire Maldita.es community. We need your help.

Let us know via Whatsapp (655 19 85 38) about any content that has been sent to you that sounds a little strange to you and that targets people belonging to ethnic and religious minorities.

Help us with your superpowers. If your job is related to religious minorities or you know a lot about it, donate your superpower here

And if you belong to a group affected by these hoaxes and want to tell us about it, you can contact us at [email protected]

Make the denial viral: Go back to your networks and spread the denials.

Together, everywhere, it is much harder to be fooled.

*This article has been updated with additional information.