Context
Stories in the Context section are not fakes. We publish them in order to provide greater insight for our readers about the techniques, methods and practices used by the Russian government in its information war. They appear on our site with the permission of their original publisher and reflect the views of the authors and not necessarily the position of StopFake’s editorial board.
By EU vs Disinfo Newspeak as Editorial Policy Recently, Russian Strategic Culture Foundation published an article, referring to George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. This is not very original; similar referrals appear frequently in pro-Kremlin media, suggesting that they represent the brave resistance against “The Thought Police” and “Big Brother” and other nasty Orwellian features. The author of the article hints that ominous techniques for mind control are at play, forcing everyone (except for the…
By Laura Hazard Owen, for NiemanLab The growing stream of reporting on and data about fake news, misinformation, partisan content, and news literacy is hard to keep up with. This weekly roundup offers the highlights of what you might have missed. “How Big Tech powers and profits from vaccine misinformation.” That’s the title of a report released this week by the U.K.-based nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate. Among the findings: Covid-19 has been a growth opportunity…
By Polygraph Vladimir PutinRussian President“In Russia, there has not been, is not, and will not be anything that is associated with restrictions on rights based on race, sexual orientation, nationality, or any religious grounds. This has never happened in Russia and never will.”Source: Kremlin.ru, July 3, 2020FALSE On July 3, following a national vote that took place from June 25 to July 1 and approved 206 amendments to the Russian…
By EU vs Disinfo The Kremlin Cracks Down on Journalism Within the first week since the Russian constitution was amended in a spurious voting process, a campaign against journalists and media has been launched in Russia. A journalist from a radio station in Pskov in western Russia, Svetlana Prokopieva, was found guilty 6 July by a military court for “justifying terrorism”. On 7 July, a former reporter of the daily Kommersant, Ivan Safronov,…
By EU vs Disinfo Disinformation Ignores Responsibilities of Russia and its Allies, Scapegoats the EU EU sanctions on Syria have been a favourite target of disinformation from Russia and pro-Kremlin media to discredit the EU’s action in and policy towards Syria. This week we devote the Disinformation Review largely to disinformation on Syria, EU policies and the sanctions regime. Lately, Russian officials and pro-Kremlin media in Arabic exploited the political…
By EU vs Disinfo The Kremlin on the Molotov – Ribbentrop Pact One feature in the Kremlin disinformation efforts is the lack of consistency. Disinformation outlets throw out dozens of different lies on key issues like the Skripal Case and the MH17… The same can be observed with disinformation around World War II and the Molotov – Ribbentrop Pact, where the Kremlin ping-pongs between praising the pact and denouncing it. In late May,…
By Ilse van Liempt, Mieke Kox, for The Conversation The coronavirus pandemic has led to a crisis among asylum seekers and refugees in the Netherlands. According to our research, the start of the pandemic saw an information vacuum within this community, leading to a general atmosphere of confusion and anxiety and the spread of fake news. When our fieldwork with asylum seekers, refugees and unauthorised migrants in Amsterdam was interrupted due…
By Laura Hazard Owen, for NiemanLab The growing stream of reporting on and data about fake news, misinformation, partisan content, and news literacy is hard to keep up with. This weekly roundup offers the highlights of what you might have missed. “Relatively short, scalable interventions could be effective in fighting misinformation around the world.” In 2017, Facebook released a set of “Tips to spot false news.” Developed in collaboration with First Draft, the tips were…
By EU vs Disinfo Some observers have recently argued about a convergence of narratives between pro-Kremlin and Chinese disinformation networks. We have taken a closer look at the “clandestine US biolabs” conspiracy theory. “The United States has deployed more than 200 military biological laboratories across the world. Among them, more than 30 have been exposed. The rest are hidden in unknown places. They may be right beside you”, an alarming…
By Polygraph Press TVIranian state TV channel“A senior Iranian judge says INTERPOL Red Notices have been issued for the prosecution of dozens of military and political officials of the United States, including President Donald Trump, on charges of planning and implementing a terrorist attack in the Iraqi capital that assassinated Iran’s top general Qassem Soleimani and his companions.”Source: Press TV, June 29, 2020FALSE On June 29, the Iranian state news…
