Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that the State Department is closing an office designed to counter foreign disinformation, stating that the effort had ‘spent millions of dollars to actively silence and censor the voices of Americans.’
The Washington Post
If you saw the recent HHS Press Briefing by RFK Jr., you’re likely as horrified as I am. RFK Jr. proclaimed that ‘it’s gotta be environmental toxins’ causing the supposed autism epidemic. As always, he manipulated data to claim autism is ‘skyrocketing.’
ImmunoLogic.org
Late on Friday afternoon, hundreds of researchers funded by the National Science Foundation got emails with bad news: their grants or fellowships had been cancelled.
Nieman Lab
As TikTok continues to wait for a deal that will secure its future in the United States, the company is embracing a crowd-sourced approach to fact-checking. The service is adding “Footnotes,” a Community Notes-like feature that will allow contributors to add “more context” to videos on the platform.
Engadget
A Delaware judge, once again, has found that a conservative news outlet broadcast false and defamatory claims about the role a voting technology company played in the 2020 presidential election. This time, that network is Newsmax, Fox News' upstart rival, which is fresh off a successful initial public offering.
National Public Radio
The First Amendment is first for a reason, and James Madison, chief author of the Bill of Rights, was a staunch supporter of the values enshrined therein: Speech, Religious Liberty, Freedom of the Press, Free Assembly, and the Freedom to Petition for Redress of Grievances.
The Integrity Project
Make no mistake, the recent appearance of Dr. Suzanne Humphries on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast—which reaches an astronomical 11 million listeners per episode—represents a public health emergency that demands an urgent, forceful and unified response.
Deplatform Disease
It is Feb. 26, and ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ is filming in Indianapolis the week of the NFL Scouting Combine. McAfee sits behind a desk. Before him is an arc of chairs, occupied by a few of what he describes as his ‘stooges’ and a featured guest: Adam Schefter, ESPN’s NFL insider.
The Athletic
Apolitical nonprofit and trusted mis- and disinformation research organization – The Integrity Project – is pleased to announce that veteran news broadcaster Mark Curtis and distinguished elections expert Stephen Richer have joined its volunteer Board of Directors.
The Integrity Project
Fentanyl, the deadly synthetic opioid driving the nation's high drug overdose rates, is also caught up in another serious problem: misinformation. False and misleading narratives on social media, in news reports and even in popular television dramas suggesting people can overdose from touching fentanyl — rather than ingesting it — are now informing public policy and spending decisions.
National Public Radio
Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault says people tend to overestimate how good they are at spotting fake and misleading election content. He says he's contacted major social media companies about the issue to ensure a 'secure election.'
CBC News Canada
France has, in recent years, witnessed more disinformation campaigns coming "from abroad," including Russia, than any other European country apart from Ukraine, Prime Minister François Bayrou said last week.
Le Monde
Doctors in West Texas are seeing measles patients whose illnesses have been complicated by an alternative therapy endorsed by vaccine skeptics including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary. Parents in Gaines County, Texas, the center of a raging measles outbreak, have increasingly turned to supplements and unproven treatments to protect their children, many of whom are unvaccinated, against the virus.
The New York Times
One of President Donald Trump’s first actions as he returned to the Oval Office in January was signing an executive order aimed at “restoring freedom of speech and ending federal censorship” of US citizens. The order bans federal officials from any conduct that “would unconstitutionally abridge the free speech of any American citizen.”
CNN
As of last week, the Voice of America is silent. The storied broadcaster was launched in 1942 to counter Nazi propaganda, but two weeks ago president Donald Trump usurped Congress' authority and signed an executive order effectively shutting down the taxpayer funded broadcaster for what the White House calls "radical propaganda."
60 Minutes
Austrian authorities said Monday that they uncovered a Russian-steered campaign aimed at spreading disinformation about Ukraine following the detention in December of a Bulgarian woman accused of spying for Russia.
The Associated Press
Disinformation, misinformation, deception, and traditional propaganda all utilize digital channels and social networks to spread their messages to the public. The challenge and risk is complex, but can technology help? Can it reduce the risk of disinformation?
Forbes
America has 72 percent of the world’s 25 top universities by one ranking and 64 percent by another. But this crucial U.S. competitive advantage is being undermined by the Trump administration’s war on colleges.
The Washington Post
Spending cuts, immigration and Medicaid are at the top of the Washington agenda. That climate provides fertile ground for misinformation and myths to multiply on social networks. Some of the most common are those surrounding immigrants, Latinos and Medicaid.
NBC News
President Trump recently selected Kari Lake as his top adviser to the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which oversees Voice of America, the country’s biggest international broadcaster. On March 14 she tweeted—and Elon Musk retweeted—a blistering video from USAGM’s new headquarters in Washington.
Wall Street Journal
