Disinformation surge threatens to fuel Israel-Hamas conflict
Amsterdam, The Netherlands/London, UKReuters As the Israel-Hamas war rages, regulators and analysts say a wave of online disinformation risks further inflaming passions and escalating the conflict in an electronic fog of war. An explosion at a Gaza hospital that killed hundreds of Palestinians on Tuesday is the latest focus of the surge of activity as […]
Ahead of US midterms, partisan mailer poses as Catholic newspaper in Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona, USAP Nicole Leonardi initially thought a new newspaper had arrived in her mailbox this week. But a closer look at the “Arizona Catholic Tribune” revealed a different story. While it had all the attributes of a traditional print newspaper, including a tagline that read “Real data. Real value. Real news,” the pledge did […]
Essay: Three reasons why disinformation is so pervasive and what we can do about it
In an article first published on The Conversation, Australian academics MATHIEU O’NEILL and MICHAEL JENSEN look at the growing problem of disinformation…
Truth-telling: Philippine “Avengers” battle disinformation before election
RINA CHANDRAN and MANUEL MOGATO, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, report on how Philippine fact-checking coalitions involving everyone from lawyers to priests are fighting fake news on platforms like YouTube, Facebook and TikTok ahead of the 9th May election…
Bolsonaro allies allegedly pushing fake news effort, Brazil police document says
Brasilia, BrazilReuters A group of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s allies allegedly is coordinating a disinformation campaign and targeting of his political rivals ahead of the 2nd October presidential election, according to a public extract from a federal police probe. The partial report, which became publicly accessible after it was sent to the Supreme Court on […]
Pope says fake news, disinformation on COVID, is human rights violation
Vatican CityReuters Pope Francis said on Friday that spreading fake news and disinformation on COVID-19 and vaccines, including by Catholic media, is a violation of human rights. It was the second time in less than month that the 85-year-old Pope has spoken out on the subject. Three weeks ago, he condemned “baseless” ideological misinformation about […]
Red Cross chief urges vaccine “fake news” fight
United NationsAP The head of the world’s largest humanitarian network is urging governments and institutions to combat “fake news” about COVID-19 vaccines which has become “a second pandemic” and start building trust in communities around the world about the critical importance of vaccinating people. Francesco Rocca, president of the International Federation of Red Cross and […]
Helpdesk: How fake accounts constantly manipulate what you see on social media – and what you can do about it
In an article first published on The Conversation, JEANNA MATTHEWS, a full professor in computer science at Clarkson University in the US, looks at how social media is being manipulated and what measures you can take to help address the issue…
Facebook, Twitter, Google to report monthly on fake news fight, EU says
Brussels, BelgiumReuters Facebook, Google and Twitter should provide monthly reports on their fight against disinformation, two senior EU officials said on Wednesday as they called out Russia and China for their roles in the spread of fake news. The comments by EU foreign policy head Josep Borrell and the European Commission’s Vice President for values […]
SIGHT HELPDESK: 10 WAYS TO SPOT ONLINE MISINFORMATION
In an article first published on The Conversation, H COLLEEN SINCLAIR, an associate professor of social psychology at Mississippi State University, looks at some tips for spotting “fake news” on the web…