Climate disinformation in vulnerable groups and discrediting strategies against journalists: A study on journalism and the challenges faced by the profession in Portugal

• Grant number: 25/14187-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 05, 2026
• End date: April 04, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Communications - Journalism and Publishing
• Principal Investigator: Angela Maria Grossi
• Grantee: Davi Marcelgo Ramos
• Supervisor: Branco di Fatima - Geraldo Magela de Fatima Filho
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Arquitetura, Artes, Comunicação e Design (FAAC). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Bauru. Bauru , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Universidade da Beira Interior (UBI), Portugal
• Associated to the scholarship: 24/20743-2 - CLIMATE DISINFORMATION IN VULNERABLE GROUPS: JOURNALISM AS AN AID TO ACHIEVING THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS, BP.IC

Abstract

This research aims to see how disinformation and its ecosystem affects vulnerable groups, especially immigrants and climate refugees. It also seeks to understand how narratives are aligned with the aim of threatening the lives and credibility of journalists, feeding the cycle of distrust in the profession and belief in false discourses. The work is based on exploratory research and intends to focus on reading the bibliography and documents indicated in this project and other productions that will emerge during the study, based on contact with the library collection of the University of Beira Interior (UBI). It is also intended to deepen discussions on the subject by participating in the LabCom Research Center - Communication Laboratory and by attending and contributing to scientific and academic events in the area. As a result, the work aims to understand the ways in which climate refugees are affected by misinformation and hate speech, which is often laden with racism and xenophobia, and the ways in which journalism acts to denounce harassment and contribute to the dignity of individuals; to identify the strategies for combating orchestrated lies that Portuguese professionals, media outlets and scholars have carried out in the country. (AU)