ANTICIPA-UCM. Hacia una gestión eficaz de la infodemia sobre la COVID-19

María Yolanda Martínez Solana; Teresa Martín García

doi:10.31637/epsir-2025-1188

Authors

María Yolanda Martínez Solana Complutense University of Madrid https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9164-4634
Teresa Martín García University of Salamanca https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4239-0241

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31637/epsir-2025-1188

Keywords:

Infodemia, specialized information, health communication, scientific communication, COVID-19, information verification, institutional communication, educommunication

Abstract

Introduction: This communication presents the main lines of work in communication of the interdisciplinary project ANTICIPA-UCM (Anticipation and Prevention of COVID-19 in the Community of Madrid). The objective is to offer society an institutional information source that guarantees reliable contents based on its own research. The project has disseminated the real state of the evolution of the pandemic in Spain. Methodology: The evolution of COVID-19 incidence was monitored during 2021, 2022 and 2023. Periodically, the media were informed of news aspects arising from research carried out by the project's researchers. To this end, the evolution of media interest from 2021 to 2023 was analyzed. Results: An increase in news interest was observed and it was verified that in Spain the recommendations made by the WHO in the management of infodemia on COVID-19 to combat false information have been complied with. Discussions: The project's communication strategy has demonstrated the effectiveness of managing content on the pandemic in a specialized way, reducing the overabundance of information or hoaxes. Conclusions: The results of this project show that the actions have served to effectively manage infodemia.

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Author Biographies

María Yolanda Martínez Solana, Complutense University of Madrid

Full Professor at the UCM (2021). Three six-year research periods. Unanimous Cum Laude Doctorate from the Complutense University of Madrid (2003). Member of three research groups. Collaborates with other Spanish and international universities. Delegate of the Dean for the direction of the newspaper Infoactualidad of the Faculty of CCINF of the UCM and director of the Master of Journalism ABC-UCM (both from 2016-June 2022). Delegate of the Rector for Institutional Communication at the Complutense University of Madrid, with the rank of Vice-Rector. In 2000, she was appointed Advisor to the Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs as Director of Communication. Columnist. Consultant in electoral and image campaigns. Member of executive selection committees in companies. Areas of research: analysis of information crises and the development of Institutional Communication Programmes.

Teresa Martín García, University of Salamanca

PhD in Journalism, Master's Degree in Institutional and Business Communication and Master's Degree in Journalism, Discourse and Communication from the Complutense University of Madrid. Degree in Journalism and expert in Gender and Communication from the Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca. She has more than 15 years of professional experience in marketing and advertising. She has been working at the University of Salamanca since 2010. She has developed her career jointly at the Complutense University of Madrid and the University of Salamanca. She is part of the Audiovisual Content Observatory (OCA), a Research Group of Excellence and Consolidated Research Unit of the Junta de Castilla y León. Her main lines of research are: marketing trends and digital communication in institutions and companies, educommunication, gender and communication.

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