Sept. 10: Foreign disinformation campaigns

This is a shortened version of Get Smart About News, a free weekly newsletter that explores trends and issues in misinformation, social media, artificial intelligence and journalism. Subscribe HERE.

Top Story of the week

A Tennessee-based media company working with six popular conservative influencers was revealed to be a front for a Russian influence campaign. This marks the third consecutive U.S. presidential election that Russia has attempted to manipulate through online disinformation. The operation, allegedly funded by two employees of Russian state media company RT, aimed to exacerbate divisions among Americans and push pro-Russian narratives and content, including messages that favor former President Donald Trump, who the Kremlin believes is more aligned to its interests on issues like the Russia-Ukraine war, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

Engage: While most teens are unable to vote in the upcoming election, it’s essential to help them prepare to vote in the next one. Share with them the news pieces about this recent Russian attempt to influence American politics. Ask them why they think Russia targeted influencers to execute its influence campaign on the U.S. presidential election. Do influencers have any responsibilities? How big a threat are disinformation campaigns to democratic elections?

Tools for the talk: 

• “Misinformation Dashboard: Election 2024” (NLP).

Note: This dashboard is a new resource from NLP that launched last month. It’s a collection of hundreds of examples of election misinformation that also analyzes common trends within a larger context.

• “Misinformation” (Checkology® virtual classroom).
• Infographic: “In brief: Misinformation” / “En Breve: Información Falsa” (NLP’s Resource Library).

Related: 

• “Why the Kremlin Loves Social Media” (Catherine Kim, Politico). 
• “China-linked ‘Spamouflage’ network mimics Americans online to sway US political debate” (David Klepper, The Associated Press). 
• “Iran Emerges as a Top Disinformation Threat in U.S. Presidential Race” (Steven Lee Myers, Tiffany Hsu and Farnaz Fassihi, The New York Times).

RumorGuard post of the week

NLP created RumorGuard to fact-check viral rumors and help you build news literacy skills. Sign up to push back against misinformation HERE.

Viral falsehoods depict fake Venezuelan gang invasions in U.S. cities

❌ NO: The video in the post to the left does not show Hells Angels members preparing to drive to Colorado to fight a Venezuelan gang that supposedly took over an apartment in Aurora, a Denver suburb, in August. 

✔️ YES: This video was filmed in 2022 and shows the 12th annual Tucker’s Toy Run and Motorcycle Raffle charity event in Northampton, Pennsylvania.NO: An apartment building in Chicago, Illinois, was not taken over by 32 armed Venezuelans in early September.

✔️ YES: Chicago police responded to a 911 call that 32 armed Venezuelans were seen in an apartment building, but they did not issue a report and there is no evidence the claim was genuine.

💡 NewsLit takeaway: Removing a video or photograph from its original context and posting it online with a sensational claim connecting it to current events or viral rumors is one of the most common forms of misinformation. This sort of content is quick to make, and since it features authentic media, it can also be difficult to detect. Checking to see if a claim originated with a credible source is the first step in evaluating its validity. In the case of the motorcycle video, a reverse image search can also be used to uncover additional context — that the video is nearly two years old and was filmed during a charity event.

Content that elicits a strong emotional response can easily bypass critical thinking skills, especially when paired with a hot-button political issue, such as immigration. Being a responsible social media user means resisting the urge to immediately engage with content. By slowing down, we give ourselves time to question sensational content and allow credible sources time to investigate and verify online claims.

Kickers of the week

➕ Social media influencers have made an industry out of promoting anti-aging skincare products — and now girls as young as 8 are getting rashes, blisters and chemical burns from using products they see on their social media feeds.

➕ Teachers are feeling the pressure from parents and administrators to avoid political topics in the classroom. A recent survey found that 42% of Wisconsin social studies teachers faced restrictions when teaching about politics, elections or current events.

➕ Did you know that generative AI tools can now make convincing synthetic videos? Take this AI quiz to see if you can tell what’s real. 🤖

One last thing...

This is a short version of our Get Smart About News email. To get more top stories, more RumorGuard posts and more Kickers, subscribe to our Tuesday email HERE.

Are you an educator? See how you can integrate these examples into your teaching by subscribing to The Sift® HERE.

Thanks for reading!