Comparing British Covid-19 conspiracy theorists’ discursive self-constructions to their constructions within mainstream fact checking discourse

Carter, James A. (2026) Comparing British Covid-19 conspiracy theorists’ discursive self-constructions to their constructions within mainstream fact checking discourse. Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

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Abstract

Recent years have seen a persistent interest in the effects of false information (disinformation, infodemics, ‘fake news’, et cetera) on publics and the false beliefs they are thought to engender. The Covid pandemic is a global event where false beliefs about the disease and connected phenomena represent a problem for public health because they may lead to harmful health choices. However, often absent in discussions of Covid conspiracy theorists and misbelievers is the question of how they conceptualise themselves, rather than their perceptions by others.

This thesis presents an investigation into how Covid conspiracy theorists construct their self-concepts in comparison to their constructions within the Discourses of dominant institutions. Using a novel method of Foucauldian Discourse Analysis I call ‘Subject Position Analysis’, I compare the way that these Covid misbelievers construct their own subjectivity within UK conspiracy newspaper The Light to how it is constructed in three British fact checking organisations, Full Fact, BBC Verify and Channel 4 Fact Check. I find that there are substantial qualitative differences between how The Light and the fact checking organisations construct this subject. This matters because any policy aimed at improving health outcomes must understand those they seek to support.

This thesis should also be read as a critical study of the contemporary preoccupation with false information. The theoretical argument of this thesis is that perceptions of harmful beliefs being primarily caused by individuals uncritically consuming false information are misplaced; the spread of false information should not obfuscate the broader, structural origins of public mistrust in ‘mainstream’ information. This thesis therefore contributes to the field of critical disinformation studies.

I conclude with implications for future research and policy based on my findings, with a particular emphasis on focussing on the structural causes of mistrust in public health over (dis)information.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Norwich Medical School
Depositing User:	Chris White
Date Deposited:	14 Oct 2026 10:19
Last Modified:	14 Oct 2026 10:19
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/104775
DOI:

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