On May 6 2019, the following tweet described proposed legislation in Texas that would purportedly disenfranchise voters unable to drive themselves to the polls: A prominent retweet garnered several thousand more shares: A screenshot of the same tweet with additional commentary from a different account was shared to Facebook by act.tv a day later. Together, both …
On January 19 2019, a Facebook user shared a text-based status update (archived here), claiming that Chicago’s “City ID Cards” enables undocumented immigrants to legally vote in state and federal elections: Chicago now has City ID Cards which allow illegal immigrants to vote in local, state & federal elections (which is illegal) So, to be …
Do New Chicago City ID Cards Allow Undocumented Immigrants to Vote? Read More »
Every day, a new fake story emerges with the power to affect policy or further corrode relationships, from interpersonal to international. This is corrosive disinformation, as different from garden-variety scams and hoaxes as a molehill is from a mountain. The difference is intent — not just to mislead, but to defraud and misinform — and scale. Simple …
How to Slow the Spread of Disinformation: A Guide for Newsrooms Read More »
On December 14 2018, documents released by the Department of Justice clocked the cost of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election at over $25 million: The Justice Department’s investigation into Russian election meddling and any ties to the Trump campaign has cost more than $25 million since …
Could Robert Mueller’s Investigation Turn a Profit Thanks to Asset Seizures? Read More »
On December 12, 2018, the Federalist Papers Project — a known purveyor of corrosive disinformation — published “Migrants DEMAND $50,000 Each to go Home, Or Else …” (filed under “opinion”), an article littered with racist imagery and calls for violence: If you needed any more proof that the migrant caravans at our Southern border are NOT what …
Did ‘Migrants’ Demand $50,000 Each to Leave the United States? Read More »
A highly publicized caravan of people traveling from Central America in order to turn themselves in at the United States border to request asylum — one of many groups who have done so over the years — has been dogged from start to finish by false stories and threats spurred by that disinformation. One large …
From Central America to the United States Border, a Journey of Lies Read More »
Special Counsel Robert Mueller has referred a possible scam to the Federal Bureau of Investigation after a number of reporters were contacted by someone apparently shopping a story about him sexually assaulting unidentified women: 13 days ago I received this tip alleging an attempt to pay off women to make up accusations of sexual misconduct …
Special Counsel’s Office Asks FBI to Investigate Smear Scheme Read More »
Russian president Vladimir Putin criticized the United States in his annual address to the nation in October 2018, saying that American influence in the world has irrevocably waned. Left-leaning political news site AmericanIndependent.com reported on his comments in a story that was later picked up by Shareblue.com: Speaking about the position of the U.S. on …
Did Vladimir Putin Say the United States’ Influence in the World Is ‘Waning’? Read More »
The United States’ 2018 midterm elections approached with far more fanfare than is normal for what is usually a relatively sleepy electoral affair, including an unusual focus on voter disenfranchisement. Stories of people discovering that they were suddenly not eligible to vote and and other voter suppression tactics appeared over and over again: In Georgia, a coalition of …
Conspiracy-thirsty blogs and social media users attempted to undermine the lawmaker’s criticism of Donald Trump.
