GCRI · Sociedad y desarrollo humano
Medios y sistemas de información
In a crisis, what people know depends on news media, social platforms, messaging apps, authority channels and word of mouth. These sistemas can save lives by spreading accurate warnings and guidance, or spread rumours and false information that cost them. This page sets out how information systems work in crises and over time, how information quality and access are measured, and what evidence serves the authorities, media and civil society involved.
Media and information systems in seven parts.
- 01La preguntaMedia and information systems: how the risk develops
- 02En todos los dominiosInformation systems carry risk messages for every domain
- 03IndicadoresQué se mide y con qué calidad
- 04FuentesDe dónde proviene la evidencia
- 05DecisionesQuién decide y a qué sirve la evidencia
- 06Cuestiones centralesLas preguntas que se plantean los expertos
- 07MecanismosThe ecosystem and its fragilities
Media and information systems: how the risk develops.
Media and public information as social sistemas. The dossier below sets out how the risk develops, what is measured, where the data come from, how it is modelled and who decides.
Local news is shrinking
Loss of local journalism leaves communities with fewer trusted sources and less scrutiny of local institutions.
Messaging apps carry crisis information
Private messaging groups spread information quickly, including rumours, and are hard for authorities to monitor or correct.
Platforms amplify what engages
Recommendation systems favour content that draws attention, which can amplify fear, outrage and false claims in a crisis.
Trusted messengers matter
People act on information from sources they trust, such as community leaders, health workers and local media, more than on distant authorities.
Social protection and cohesion.
La pantalla que utilizaría un equipo para seguir esta materia: sus mediciones, estados y decisiones. Los nombres son ejemplos y los valores son ilustrativos.
Social protection and cohesion
Media and information systems · Urban ward 9 · Year 2
Coverage by quintile
Cohesion survey
| Trust in neighbours | 63 | 51 | ▲ 2 |
| Trust in local authority | 48 | 52 | ▲ 1 |
| Reported discrimination | 9 | 11 | ▲ 2 |
Information systems carry risk messages for every domain.
Findings are designed for the serie Evidence Brief. The UN Global Principles for Integridad de la Información (2024) frame the field.
- Media monitoring studies.
- Evaluations of information interventions.
How media and information systems is modelled, measured and tested.
El modelo, sus supuestos, sus datos y su incertidumbre, en la forma en que un científico o un ingeniero los comprobaría. Las estructuras siguen métodos publicados. Los valores representados son ilustrativos, no hallazgos.
Modelo de sistema
The couplings between the systems in media and information systems: signs of influence, a reinforcing and a balancing loop, and cross-links where stress jumps.
Qué se mide y con qué calidad.
Cada indicador lleva su unidad, su periodicidad, el tipo de fuente que lo respalda y la etiqueta de evidencia que llevaría un valor. No se muestran valores: un programa los aporta bajo su propia autoridad.
| Indicador | Unidad | Cadencia | Tipo de fuente | Etiqueta |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trust in news | percent trusting most news most of the time | anual | News consumption surveys | NOTIFICADO |
| Main source of news by type | porcentaje de encuestados | anual | News consumption surveys | NOTIFICADO |
| Journalists killed or imprisoned | recuento | anual | Press freedom monitors | NOTIFICADO |
| Local news outlets | count per region | por evaluación | Media mapping studies | ESTIMADO |
| Rumours tracked in crisis response | count by theme | por evento | Community feedback sistemas | NOTIFICADO |
| Population reached by authority crisis messages | percent | por evento | Post-event surveys | NOTIFICADO |
De dónde procede la evidencia.
Conjuntos de datos públicos y registros institucionales identificados, cada uno con su tipo de licencia. Las fuentes obtenidas por acuerdo solo se utilizan conforme a sus condiciones y nunca se republican.
| Fuente | Lo que aporta | Tipo de licencia |
|---|---|---|
| Digital News Report del Reuters Institute | News use and trust across countries | Public report, terms per publisher |
| UNESCO Observatory of Killed Journalists and World Trends in Freedom of Expression | Safety of journalists and media freedom | Public, UNESCO terms |
| Committee to Protect Journalists data | Journalists killed and imprisoned | Public, terms to check |
| WHO infodemic management resources | Methods for managing information in health emergencies | Public, WHO terms of use |
| IFRC and partner community feedback and rumour tracking guidance | Methods for listening to communities in crises | Public, IFRC terms (to check) |
Quién decide y a qué sirve la evidencia.
Society and Human Development prepares evidence. The decisions below are taken by the authorities named, under their own rules, and never by the platform.
| Quién decide | La pregunta | Evidencia a la que sirve esta página |
|---|---|---|
| Public health and emergency authorities | How to reach people with accurate information in crises | Ecosystem assessments; trust profiles |
| Media organisations and regulators | How to support local journalism and information quality | Media mapping and freedom evidence |
| Humanitarian agencies | How to listen to and respond to community concerns | Rumour tracking evidence |
Productos que genera este tema
- Information ecosystem assessments for crisis communication
- Rumour tracking and community feedback methods
- Media access and trust profiles
- Evidence notes for risk communication
Las preguntas que se plantean los expertos.
- How is the information ecosystem structured, and who controls its key channels?
- What happens to public knowledge when local news declines?
- How do information flows behave during crises, and where do they break?
- Which communities are poorly served by mainstream channels?
- How do economic models of media affect the quality of risk information?
The ecosystem and its fragilities.
Information ecosystems combine professional media, platforms, messaging apps, community channels and authority sources. The decline of local journalism in many places has reduced coverage of local government, hazards and public health. Platforms have become major gatekeepers, and their ranking and moderation choices shape exposure to information. Encrypted messaging networks carry both community support and rumour, and are hard to observe.
During crises, demand for information surges while normal channels may fail through power and network outages. Rumours fill gaps when authority information is slow or distrusted. Language, literacy, disability and connectivity determine who receives timely information. Concentration of ownership and dependence on advertising revenue influence what is covered and how.
Resilient information sistemas share some features: diverse sources, trusted local intermediaries, channels that work without the internet such as radio, information in the languages people speak, and authority communicators who are open about uncertainty and correct themselves quickly. These features can be studied, compared and strengthened.
Public service and community media often play an outsized role in crises because they reach people without internet access and are locally trusted. Their funding and independence are therefore part of a society’s risk infrastructure, a point the field documents with comparative evidence across countries.
Methods and limits.
Ecosystem mapping
Mapping outlets, audiences and flows of information in a place.
Content analysis
Systematic analysis of coverage and narratives; large-scale methods need careful validation.
Audience research
Surveys and qualitative work on how people find and judge information.
Limits: platform data access is restricted, private messaging is largely unobservable, and rapidly changing technology dates findings quickly.
Cómo se estudia y lo que los métodos no pueden decir.
- 01Ciencias sociales y del comportamientoDiseño de encuestas para grupos de difícil acceso · Investigación cualitativa y participativaAplicado aquí
- 02Inferencia causal y evaluación de impactoEvaluación de las transferencias monetarias · Efectos de los desastres en los hogares · Evaluación de programas educativosAplicado aquí
- 03Estadística espacial y geoestadísticaEstimación de la pobreza en áreas pequeñas · Superposición de vulnerabilidad y amenazasAplicado aquí
Where this page’s references lead.
Los organismos y documentos con los que se lee esta página. El estado y las ediciones cambian; cada enlace lleva al organismo emisor.
Preguntas y respuestas.
What is an infodemic?
Why does local journalism matter in a crisis?
What is rumour tracking?
Does the platform rate media outlets?
How is this different from the chapter?
Is GCRI a media regulator?
Aporte evidencia desde esta página.
serie Reports is the Consortium’s quarterly publication. What you know about this subject can become evidence, a case or a correction in the next edition, credited to you and published under CC BY 4.0 where it is your own work.
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Documentos jurídicos.
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