A Russian organization linked to the Kremlin’s covert influence campaigns posted more than 8,000 political advertisements on Facebook despite European and American restrictions barring companies from doing business with the organization, according to three organizations that track disinformation online.
The New York Times
The former editor of USA TODAY was eager to get back to local news after taking in a firsthand view of the nation’s polarization and chaos spawned by misinformation. She knew local news was a solution for both.
The Poynter Institute
For Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, safeguarding the integrity of elections is no easy task. Over the past 18 months, his office has identified 127 instances of false or misleading information about elections and election officials circulating online within the state.
Fox 13 Seattle
Germany's interior minister told social media platforms on Wednesday to do more to prevent disinformation before next month's election, such as clearly identifying political advertising and labelling videos manipulated with AI.
Reuters
President Donald Trump on Monday ordered that no federal officer, employee or agent may unconstitutionally abridge the free speech of any American citizen, an early step toward his campaign promise to dismantle what he called government ‘censorship’ of U.S. citizens.
The Associated Press
Last summer, 7-year-old Zusha came home from day camp frightened by a scary story. According to his mother, Yael Shy, he said: ‘My friend George told me about a milkshake that you drink, and then somebody comes and murders you. There’s videos of it, and it’s real, and the counselors know about it too!’
National Geographic
The results of the 2024 presidential election have ushered in a new era of uncertainty for public health. With Donald Trump back in the White House and his choice of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—notorious for backing some public health conspiracy theories—as a key figure in the health sector, the stakes are immense.
Harvard Public Health
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has taken a lot of heat since announcing that he is pulling his company out of the fact-checking business and curtailing content moderation on its platforms. The criticism is understandable, given the uncertainty over how Meta’s new rules will handle misinformation and otherwise harmful material.
Washington Post
In a strategic step towards combating disinformation and hate speech in Lebanon, UNESCO signed a Tripartite Partnership Agreement this week under the leadership of Ministry of Information with the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie.
UNESCO
Risk specialists identified armed conflict, extreme weather and disinformation among the top global risks for the year ahead, according to a World Economic Forum (WEF) survey released on Wednesday.
CNBC
Europe’s Digital Services Act promised to safeguard democracy from the digital world’s dangerous hazards: disinformation, hate speech, and manipulative online campaigns targeting elections. But the law’s high-minded ambitions have collided with the challenges of on-the-ground enforcement.
Center for European Policy Analysis
Although Republican Bill Gates is no longer a Maricopa County supervisor, he isn’t backing away from those who amplified election lies. Gates, who served two terms for District 3 on the board before deciding to not seek reelection in the past cycle, spoke with The Mike Broomhead Show last week.
KTAR News
California Gov. Gavin Newsom launched CaliforniaFireFacts.com on Saturday to address what he calls ‘mis- and disinformation’ being spread online about the recent fires in Southern California.
KGTV ABC10 San Diego
The Kremlin is using uncertainty following the ouster of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad, and the potential loss of Russia’s military toehold in Syria, to accuse the United States of sowing instability in the country.
Voice of America
Meta’s plans to scale back fact-checking apply only in the United States for now, the company said, nodding to domestic political realities in a way that is set to widen the gap between what users experience on social media in and outside the country.
The Washington Post
Experts generally agree that dry weather, strong winds, and climate change are to blame for the catastrophic firestorms in Southern California, which since Tuesday have roared across more than 25,000 acres and displaced tens of thousands of people.
Vanity Fair
Less than two weeks before Donald Trump is reinstated as President, Meta is abandoning its fact-checking program in favor of a crowdsourced model that emphasizes ‘free expression.’ The shift marks a profound change in how the company moderates content on its platforms.
TIME Magazine
An artificial intelligence feature on iPhones is generating fake news alerts, stoking concerns about the technology’s ability to spread misinformation.
CNBC
Finland is consistently ranked as Europe's most media literate country and the skills needed to spot online hoaxes are on the school curriculum, amidst a boom of mis- and disinformation campaigns.
Voice of America
Taiwan ’s government says China is redoubling efforts to undermine confidence in the self-governing island’s democracy and close ties with the United States through the spread of disinformation, especially online.
The Associated Press
