Deception Blog
Notable stories on disinformation
The Week of June 23, 2025
FPRI. Burkina Faso: Powerful disinformation lab is an international security disaster
Report by Raphael Parens: Burkina Faso government is struggling to deliver basic services, the country’s literacy rate is low--both the quality of education and the number of students enrolled in primary and secondary schools are low. The lack of education is problematic on its own, but when combined with the junta government’s approach to propaganda and controlling the flow of information, it is a fiasco. Echo chambers exist across the world, but in Burkina Faso they are heavily enforced by the government and fostered by an education system that does not prioritize critical thinking. -gjw
MSNBC. Disinformation' from the top down is being used against judges
Podcast: U.S. District Judge for the District of New Jersey, Esther Salas, discusses Speak Up for Justice, a forum of legal voices aimed at warning against the dangers of politicizing and intimidating legal figures. -gjw
The Week of June 16, 2025
BBC. Israel-Iran conflict unleashes wave of AI disinformation
Videos created using artificial intelligence boast of Iran's military capabilities, alongside fake clips showing the aftermath of strikes on Israeli targets. -gjw
The Intercept. Politically-spun disinformation colors murder before facts known
Bots and influencers distort real-world violence before leads can be investigated and facts determined. -gjw
Guardian. Oklahoma schools teach 2020 election conspiracy theories as fact
Oklahoma state superintendent Ryan Walters installed Heritage Foundation chief, key behind Project 2025, for curriculum guidance. -gjw
The Week of May 7, 2025
BBC. India strike on Pakistan: ‘Operation Sindoor’ unleash wave of misinformation online
One video, which had more than 400,000 views on X at the time of writing, claiming to show an explosion caused by a Pakistani response was actually from the 2020 Beirut Port explosion in Lebanon. -acb
Science/AAAS. Vaccine experts rally together to counter US administration misinformation
The Vaccine Integrity Project is being spearheaded by the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota and funded by Christy Walton, an heir to the Walmart fortune. -acb
The Week of April 14, 2025
Politico. State Department eliminates office fighting foreign disinformation
Secretary of State Rubio claimed the Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference office at the State Department, formerly known as the Global Engagement Center, had “spent millions of dollars to actively silence and censor the voices of Americans they were supposed to be serving.” -gjw
The Week of March 24, 2025
NYT. Trump fuels a “machinery of misinformation”
Government watchdog Common Cause said the administration had pursued a strategy of “disinformation overload” that was overwhelming not only its opponents but also the judicial system. - gjw
EHN. EPA staff letter accuses Trump of deception to support fringe ideology
Trump is making accusations of fraud, waste, and abuse as justification for firing federal workers and defunding critical environmental programs. But the real waste, fraud, and abuse would be to strip away these funds from the American people. - gjw
NYT. Vast quantities of climate and environmental information have been removed from official websites
Hundreds of volunteers, including EOT Harvest members Internet Archive and EDGI, are working to download government data recreate the digital tools that allow the public to access that information. - gjw
PBS. First-hand stories of digital misinformation boosting paranoid thinking
Zach Mack and David Robert Grimes wanted to find out why people we think we know, in this case Mack’s father, turn to conspiracy thinking. Truncated, flawed, simplistic report, yet with some valid analysis. - gjw
Guardian. More US states report measles cases amid vaccine misinformation
RFK jr has shied away from directly recommending vaccinations during the recent outbreak while also promoting alternative treatments. He has also suggested the Texas child who died of measles last week was unhealthy or malnourished, despite medical reports that she was healthy and had no underlying conditions. - gjw
The Week of March 17, 2025
CAAD. German elections: AfD-led disinformation puts climate action at stake
Climate misinformation spread during the German election period primarily on X, Telegram and TikTok. This was supported by platform and media amplification, and was part of a wider trend of climate denial worldwide. - gjw
The Week of March 10, 2025
The Free Press. How the U.S. Government Controls Ukrainian Media
USAID funded the vast majority of 'independent' media in Ukraine. What American taxpayers don't realize is that their money went to suppressing the truth. - ab
Times of Israel. Gaza documentary translates ‘Jihad’ to ‘resistance,’ ‘Jews’ to ‘Israeli army’
In fresh scrutiny of controversial film, report accuses broadcaster of ‘whitewashing’ terror support with what an Israeli diplomat calls ‘intentional mistranslations’. “Gaza: How To Survive a War Zone” was deleted from the news agency’s streaming service when mentions of ‘Jihad’ and ‘Jews’ had been mistranslated, the Telegraph newspaper reported. The Telegraph also reported the narrator was the son of a Hamas leader. - dg
The Week of February 24, 2025
France 24. US propagandist paid by Kremlin targets German election with network of fake news sites
A US fugitive linked to the Kremlin runs AI-generated fake news sites to boost Germany's far-right AfD. - jy
Newsweek+Newsguard. Russia's War on Ukraine: Three Years, Three Hundred and Two False Claims
NewsGuard debunked 302 Russian propaganda claims on Ukraine, increasingly driven by AI and false corruption narratives. - jy
The Week of February 4, 2025
BBC. Kari Lake to lead Voice of America
Election loss-denier nominated to lead America’s voice to the world. - gw
The Week of January 28, 2025
AP. FACT FOCUS: A look at false and misleading claims Trump made at inaugural events
The AP fact-checked statements made during Trump's inaugural events, including false claims about the 2020 election, inflation rates under the Biden administration, and the impact of tariffs. - jy
The Week of January 7, 2025
Guardian. ChatGPT search tool vulnerable to manipulation and deception, tests show
Medium. Does CNN’s Embrace of Fake News Point To a Massive Crises Of Western Credibility?
The Week of December 24, 2024
The Independent. An Everett newspaper is shutting down after the mayor sued for defamation
The Week of December 17, 2024
CWU. Misinformation & Fake News Case Studies
The Bulwark. The Real Scandal of Our Media Tycoons
Indiana University Bloomington. White lies
GIJN. Is it Ever Okay for Journalists to Lie to Get a Story?
The Week of December 10, 2024
FTC. Final rule banning fake reviews and testimonials
Newsweek. The Right is more willing to spread fake news, study says
Inside Climate News. Social media is growing vehicle for climate misinformation
The Conversation. Disinformation campaigns are a are a public health risk but NZ has no effective strategy to deal with them
The Week of November 19, 2024
NATO. NATO’s approach to countering disinformation
BBC. The 'Sift' strategy: A four-step method for spotting misinformation
U.S. Cyber Command. Russian Disinformation Campaign “DoppelGänger” Unmasked: A Web of Deception
U.S. Senate Committee. New Joint Bicameral Staff Report Reveals Big Oil’s Campaign of Climate Denial, Disinformation, and Doublespeak
The Week of October 22, 2024
LA Times. Dubious history of the Santa Monica Observer, the outlet behind that false Paul Pelosi story
Newsjunkie. Santa Monica Observer: Disinformation site masquerading as friendly local news
The Week of October 14, 2024
CNN. Black lawmakers call for probe of GOP House candidate over campaign ad with wrong election date
The Week of October 4, 2024
Guardian. Far-right website admits there was no fraud at 2020 vote count in Atlanta
Guardian. What price are US media outlets paying for spreading election lies? (Analysis)
Guardian. Far-right site Gateway Pundit settles defamation suit with election workers
AP. Hungarians protest state media ‘propaganda factory’ and demand unbiased press
The Week of September 27, 2024
NPR. How Russia’s RT went from a cable news clone to covert operator
NPR. Voting-tech company settles with right-wing network over false election claims
NBC. Smartmatic and Newsmax reach settlement in election defamation case
The Guardian. TV giant known for rightwing disinformation doubles down on its national news agenda
The Nation. Misinformation Is Destroying Our Country. Can Anything Rein It In?
AP. Right-wing influencers were duped to work for covert Russian operation, US DOJ says
PBS. How right-wing disinformation is fueling conspiracy theories about the 2024 election
Edited by Alex Smythe, Jenny Young, Damon Gitelman, and Gordon Whiting