A Qualitative Study of Communicating Truth in the Age of Political Deepfakes : Media, Expertise and Democratic Trust in Sweden

Sammanfattning

When a video of a politician can be fabricated in minutes, the question is no longer just whether it is real, but who we trust to tell us. The rise of artificial intelligence has made it possible to produce convincing fake audiovisual media that imitates real politicians and public figures, commonly known as deepfakes. Existing research, however, has focused mainly on how audiences react to such content; limited attention has been paid to how professional communicators (journalists and political communicators) understand and respond to political deepfakes in their daily work, notably in high-trust media environments like Sweden. This study examines how journalists and political communicators in Sweden respond to political deepfakes in practice, and how their communication practices shape the way citizens and democratic trust are understood. The study is guided by two research questions: how journalists and political communicators respond to political deepfakes, and how citizens are positioned within professional communication in relation to democratic trust. Thirteen participants were interviewed using a semi-structured approach, and data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The findings indicate both groups view political deepfakes as part of a broader systemic problem that has developed more rapidly than current verification and governance tools can manage. Transparency emerges as the primary shared response, although the two groups apply it in different ways. Across all themes, citizens are described as receivers of professional communication rather than active participants. The most commonly shared concern is the liar’s dividend, the idea that once deepfakes exist, even authentic content becomes easier to dismiss as fake. These findings point to structural instability and possible vulnerability in high-trust settings when institutional trust is weakened. This study contributes to Communication for Development by showing how professional communicators frame verification, transparency, and citizen roles in ways that affect democratic trust. Keywords: political deepfakes, professional communication, democratic trust, epistemic authority, participatory communication, Sweden, journalism, thematic analysis