Professor Jane Suiter, Director of DCU’s Institute for Future Media, Democracy and Society and member of ADAPT, was featured in The Irish Times on the spread of misinformation following the recent Carlow shopping centre shooting.
Commenting on the online response to the incident, Suiter noted: ““They want to sow division and discord, increase worry and hate. They want to trigger people’s sense of protection of their own community, protection of children, which are very strong emotions. The more we can be driven by hatred or fear of others, the more their political ends are met.”
Her remarks came as Taoiseach Micheál Martin condemned the “shocking” levels of false information that circulated on social media in the wake of the event, including unfounded claims of multiple fatalities and a terrorist motive.
Suiter’s comments underscore the role of coordinated disinformation efforts in exploiting public trauma, and the challenge of ensuring factual accuracy in the face of viral speculation.
Access the article here.
