News Media and Hate Speech Promotion in Mediterranean Countries

Abstract

Expressions of hate are words or actions that are discriminatory, hostile, or violent to a person or group for racial, sexual, ideological, ethnic, or identity reasons. Such expressions contribute to an environment of prejudice and intolerance towards those who are targeted. The spread of hate speech has been exacerbated by the growth of social media networks, and dissemination strategies (e.g., astroturfing) are becoming increasingly complex. Although there has been an exponential increase in the study of hate speech in recent years, most methods have focused on the English language, limiting research of the phenomenon in other languages such as Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese. It is crucial to understand the role played by digital media and journalism in the dissemination, detection, and control of hate speech from current digital scenarios.