Countering False Information in Emergency Situations. Spanish Fact-Checkers on X During the October 2024 DANA

Abstract

In October 2024, a high-altitude isolated depression (DANA, for its acronym in Spanish) severely impacted Spain, with particularly devastating effects in the Valencian Community, where hundreds of people lost their lives. This climate emergency triggered the circulation of a large volume of false content that went viral through digital platforms. The main objective of this research is to characterize the hoaxes debunked by Spanish fact-checking agencies on X in relation to the DANA. Using quantitative content analysis, this study examines the posts published on X by Newtral, Maldita, EFE Verifica, and Verificat between October 29 and November 29, 2024 (N = 492). The findings show that Spanish fact-checkers verified an average of 5.96 false claims per day on X during the analysis period, covering a wide range of topics. However, content related to conspiracy theories, the alleged collapse of dams and reservoirs, and the visits of the Spanish Royal Family, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, and Valencian President Carlos Mazón to the affected area were especially prominent. More than 45 % of the false content was created ad hoc to deliberately deceive the public, although a significant proportion involved the reuse or decontextualization of images or videos. Notably, only 31.8 % of the fact-checks included references to sources, and those that did mostly cited official sources. Furthermore, the results indicate that EFE Verifica’s posts achieved the greatest reach on X among the fact-checking agencies. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the debunking efforts by Spanish verification agencies concerning the DANA, an emergency with severe consequences that generated a high volume of false information.