ASIAN WISCONZINE ONLINE
NOVEMBER 2024 ISSUE
Dis- and Misinformation Monitoring
What is Mis- and Disinformation?
Both mis- and disinformation involve misleading, decontextualized, or outright false information. The key difference is intent: misinformation is shared without the purpose of causing harm—often unknowingly. Disinformation, on the other hand, is deliberately crafted to deceive and manipulate, benefiting those who spread it at your expense. Detecting Disinformation: If information seems too good to be true, is inconsistent with other sources, lacks coverage by multiple sources, appears overblown or exaggerated, or lacks specific evidence, these are all tell-tale signs that the information being presented may be flawed or lacking in credibility.
Below are other tips to help identify problematic narratives:
Check the source! If it appears to be a news outlet or blog, use MediaBiasFactcheck or AllSides to determine if it is a trustworthy source. If it is an individual, do a background check. Investigate if the account has any real photos of the person many hyperpartisan and spam accounts have no identifiable markers. Also check if the account was created recently many bot accounts are created in response to recent news stories.
List of resources:
omediabiasfactcheck.com
o allsides.com
o facechecko.org
o snopes.com
o apnews.com/ap-fact-check
o vietfactcheck.org
o piyaoba.org
Analyze grammar and sensationalism. Unreliable and non-credible sources often utilize all caps, make spelling errors, and make other grammatical mistakes. They often also prioritize shock value, drama, or controversy to distort the true nature of events or issues, presenting them in a way that amplifies their impact or significance beyond what is warranted by the facts. The less neutral the language seems, the more caution should be taken.
Ask yourself if the post makes you emotional. Bad actors rely on emotional responses for their fake or misleading stories to gain traction. If an article, post, or narrative provokes an emotional response – this may be the first hint multiple sources should be consulted regarding the story.
Check if other reputable sources are covering the narrative or assertion. This is especially important if there is little to no information about the original source. This may include well-known national news outlets, trusted local news media, government websites, encyclopedias, and nonpartisan fact-checking websites. Ask yourself if the information fits comfortably into your belief system. Identifying disinformation can be challenging when it reinforces existing beliefs. When consuming information from unfamiliar sources, reflect on whether it fits too neatly into your pre-existing beliefs. This practice challenges assumptions and guards against believing false or misleading information.
Building on the monitoring capacity that APIAVote established in 2020, we have expanded our capacity to monitor and analyze emerging narratives that impact AAPI communities and our democracy at-large.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
APIAVote has put together a guide to help our partners and volunteers with this task, and other helpful resources and responses for confronting and combating disinformation, misinformation, and other harmful narratives that arise.
Guide: Confronting Disinformation
Mis- and disinformation are significant challenges facing Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities today. These issues threaten community safety, undermine trust in election systems, and even cause familial divisions. With the widespread use of the internet, social media, 24-hour news, and radio, false and harmful narratives targeting AAPI communities are spreading more rapidly and extensively than ever before. These false narratives have played a key role in recent elections, and continue to distort contemporary issues such as immigration, election integrity, public safety, and more.
Deciphering mis- and disinformation from facts can be challenging, even for experts. To address this, APIAVote has created a guide to provide background on the issue of mis and disinformation in AAPI communities and offer tips for combating these false narratives.
Background Key Definitions
Misinformation: Misleading, incorrect, or false information could be caused by human error, faulty fact-checking. Not intended to deceive. Malinformation: Genuine information that is shared to cause harm often de-contextualized information used to promote an argument or perspective.
Disinformation: Misleading, incorrect, or false information presented with the intent to mislead an audience. Propaganda: True or false information spread to persuade an audience, which is often politically connoted. May use accurate, but selectively presented, information and identified sources.
Where is Disinformation Coming From?
When discussing disinformation, bad actors from foreign sources often come to mind. Russian-based entities with ties to the Kremlin have promoted disinformation in American spaces with the goal of polarizing the United States and eroding faith in our democratic institutions and promoting a pro-Putin worldview. One primary tactic they use is posing as Americans and creating fake social media accounts and fake news sites to appeal to American voters.
There is also evidence that Vietnamese and Chinese-based entities have also been pushing disinformation campaigns directed towards the United States. They employ many of the same tactics that Russian entities use, including creating fake accounts to manipulate public opinion and harass those perceived to be in opposition to the governing party.
These disinformation campaigns, sometimes referred to as ‘Spamouflage,’ since the fake accounts often post a lot of non-political content to hide their true intent, specifically attempt to erode public trust in the American government, stoke violent division between both parties, and elevate extremist positions across the political spectrum. However, these campaigns have had significantly less success than Russian-based entities as a result of has largely failed due to a number of factors such as issues of cultural context, online partition from the outside world, a lack of interconnected thinking between state media and disinformation campaigns, and the use of tactics designed for both countries’ own heavily censored online environment.
Another rising player in this world of transnational disinformation is the ‘Hindutva’ movement in India. This movement is spearheaded by Indian Prime Minister Modi, 3 which posits that Hindus ought to be the first class citizens of India at the detriment of Muslim, Sikh, Christian, and other minorities. These views have found companionship with other religious and ethnic supremacist views in the United States, and the proliferation of such ideas could result in major harm to AAPI and other communities. However, disinformation from foreign sources is only a fraction of the story.
The truth is a significant portion of mis- and disinformation in the United States has domestic origins, to the point where it is an entire industry. One major source of domestic disinformation comes from hyperpartisan news outlets. Often, such outlets will masquerade as unbiased local media in an attempt to build credibility. However, there are a number of notable national news outlets that receive significant engagement, despite being recognized as untrustworthy news outlets. For instance, one far-right news outlet, The Gateway Pundit, is marked by the reputable media fact-checking outlet MediaBiasFactCheck as having ‘very low factuality’, but nevertheless it has ‘high traffic.”
Often, these hyperpartisan news outlets may report mostly factual information in their articles, but then include small bits of disinformation. For example, this can be seen in this article by the far-left outlet, the World Socialist WebSite, which reported on the real story that the United States government engaged in an anti-vaxx campaign in the Philippines, but then ended the article by making the claim that the United States’ espoused concerns of China’s human rights violations are also another disinformation campaign despite there being overwhelming evidence of human rights violations being true. In the last few years particularly, artificial intelligence (AI) has also emerged as a powerful tool to create and spread false narratives at higher rates than before.
In May 2024, the FBI published a report where they mentioned that the threat level from AI-based disinformation coming from China and Russia would be very high this election cycle. Specifically, AI can be used to manage large amounts of bot accounts, quickly generate graphics, and perhaps more frighteningly, to create deepfakes or robocalls that can imitate the voices of politicians and make it seem like they said a statement that they never said in reality. And it’s not just foreign actors who use AI, but domestic bad actors as well. Lastly, elected officials, political commentators, celebrities, influencers, and others with name recognition are also often key disseminators of disinformation.
For instance, OPB featured an interview where a researcher describes how the spreading of mis- and disinformation gave Instagram influencers more clicks and profit. Additionally, the Financial Times found that the most misleading information can often come from elected officials. It is also important to note that disinformation can also sometimes be ordinary individuals that see their post go viral. Such posts can easily sway many viewers, especially since individual stories can be very hard to fact-check.
How Does Disinformation Impact Asian and Pacific Islander American Communities?
AAPIs, like other Americans, may find disinformation in their daily lives as they scroll through social media.
### About APIAVote: Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) is the nation’s leading nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to engaging, educating, and empowering Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities to strengthen and sustain a culture of civic engagement. See our website for more information at https://www.apiavote.org/
Both mis- and disinformation involve misleading, decontextualized, or outright false information. The key difference is intent: misinformation is shared without the purpose of causing harm—often unknowingly. Disinformation, on the other hand, is deliberately crafted to deceive and manipulate, benefiting those who spread it at your expense. Detecting Disinformation: If information seems too good to be true, is inconsistent with other sources, lacks coverage by multiple sources, appears overblown or exaggerated, or lacks specific evidence, these are all tell-tale signs that the information being presented may be flawed or lacking in credibility.
Below are other tips to help identify problematic narratives:
Check the source! If it appears to be a news outlet or blog, use MediaBiasFactcheck or AllSides to determine if it is a trustworthy source. If it is an individual, do a background check. Investigate if the account has any real photos of the person many hyperpartisan and spam accounts have no identifiable markers. Also check if the account was created recently many bot accounts are created in response to recent news stories.
List of resources:
omediabiasfactcheck.com
o allsides.com
o facechecko.org
o snopes.com
o apnews.com/ap-fact-check
o vietfactcheck.org
o piyaoba.org
Analyze grammar and sensationalism. Unreliable and non-credible sources often utilize all caps, make spelling errors, and make other grammatical mistakes. They often also prioritize shock value, drama, or controversy to distort the true nature of events or issues, presenting them in a way that amplifies their impact or significance beyond what is warranted by the facts. The less neutral the language seems, the more caution should be taken.
Ask yourself if the post makes you emotional. Bad actors rely on emotional responses for their fake or misleading stories to gain traction. If an article, post, or narrative provokes an emotional response – this may be the first hint multiple sources should be consulted regarding the story.
Check if other reputable sources are covering the narrative or assertion. This is especially important if there is little to no information about the original source. This may include well-known national news outlets, trusted local news media, government websites, encyclopedias, and nonpartisan fact-checking websites. Ask yourself if the information fits comfortably into your belief system. Identifying disinformation can be challenging when it reinforces existing beliefs. When consuming information from unfamiliar sources, reflect on whether it fits too neatly into your pre-existing beliefs. This practice challenges assumptions and guards against believing false or misleading information.
Building on the monitoring capacity that APIAVote established in 2020, we have expanded our capacity to monitor and analyze emerging narratives that impact AAPI communities and our democracy at-large.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
APIAVote has put together a guide to help our partners and volunteers with this task, and other helpful resources and responses for confronting and combating disinformation, misinformation, and other harmful narratives that arise.
Guide: Confronting Disinformation
Mis- and disinformation are significant challenges facing Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities today. These issues threaten community safety, undermine trust in election systems, and even cause familial divisions. With the widespread use of the internet, social media, 24-hour news, and radio, false and harmful narratives targeting AAPI communities are spreading more rapidly and extensively than ever before. These false narratives have played a key role in recent elections, and continue to distort contemporary issues such as immigration, election integrity, public safety, and more.
Deciphering mis- and disinformation from facts can be challenging, even for experts. To address this, APIAVote has created a guide to provide background on the issue of mis and disinformation in AAPI communities and offer tips for combating these false narratives.
Background Key Definitions
Misinformation: Misleading, incorrect, or false information could be caused by human error, faulty fact-checking. Not intended to deceive. Malinformation: Genuine information that is shared to cause harm often de-contextualized information used to promote an argument or perspective.
Disinformation: Misleading, incorrect, or false information presented with the intent to mislead an audience. Propaganda: True or false information spread to persuade an audience, which is often politically connoted. May use accurate, but selectively presented, information and identified sources.
Where is Disinformation Coming From?
When discussing disinformation, bad actors from foreign sources often come to mind. Russian-based entities with ties to the Kremlin have promoted disinformation in American spaces with the goal of polarizing the United States and eroding faith in our democratic institutions and promoting a pro-Putin worldview. One primary tactic they use is posing as Americans and creating fake social media accounts and fake news sites to appeal to American voters.
There is also evidence that Vietnamese and Chinese-based entities have also been pushing disinformation campaigns directed towards the United States. They employ many of the same tactics that Russian entities use, including creating fake accounts to manipulate public opinion and harass those perceived to be in opposition to the governing party.
These disinformation campaigns, sometimes referred to as ‘Spamouflage,’ since the fake accounts often post a lot of non-political content to hide their true intent, specifically attempt to erode public trust in the American government, stoke violent division between both parties, and elevate extremist positions across the political spectrum. However, these campaigns have had significantly less success than Russian-based entities as a result of has largely failed due to a number of factors such as issues of cultural context, online partition from the outside world, a lack of interconnected thinking between state media and disinformation campaigns, and the use of tactics designed for both countries’ own heavily censored online environment.
Another rising player in this world of transnational disinformation is the ‘Hindutva’ movement in India. This movement is spearheaded by Indian Prime Minister Modi, 3 which posits that Hindus ought to be the first class citizens of India at the detriment of Muslim, Sikh, Christian, and other minorities. These views have found companionship with other religious and ethnic supremacist views in the United States, and the proliferation of such ideas could result in major harm to AAPI and other communities. However, disinformation from foreign sources is only a fraction of the story.
The truth is a significant portion of mis- and disinformation in the United States has domestic origins, to the point where it is an entire industry. One major source of domestic disinformation comes from hyperpartisan news outlets. Often, such outlets will masquerade as unbiased local media in an attempt to build credibility. However, there are a number of notable national news outlets that receive significant engagement, despite being recognized as untrustworthy news outlets. For instance, one far-right news outlet, The Gateway Pundit, is marked by the reputable media fact-checking outlet MediaBiasFactCheck as having ‘very low factuality’, but nevertheless it has ‘high traffic.”
Often, these hyperpartisan news outlets may report mostly factual information in their articles, but then include small bits of disinformation. For example, this can be seen in this article by the far-left outlet, the World Socialist WebSite, which reported on the real story that the United States government engaged in an anti-vaxx campaign in the Philippines, but then ended the article by making the claim that the United States’ espoused concerns of China’s human rights violations are also another disinformation campaign despite there being overwhelming evidence of human rights violations being true. In the last few years particularly, artificial intelligence (AI) has also emerged as a powerful tool to create and spread false narratives at higher rates than before.
In May 2024, the FBI published a report where they mentioned that the threat level from AI-based disinformation coming from China and Russia would be very high this election cycle. Specifically, AI can be used to manage large amounts of bot accounts, quickly generate graphics, and perhaps more frighteningly, to create deepfakes or robocalls that can imitate the voices of politicians and make it seem like they said a statement that they never said in reality. And it’s not just foreign actors who use AI, but domestic bad actors as well. Lastly, elected officials, political commentators, celebrities, influencers, and others with name recognition are also often key disseminators of disinformation.
For instance, OPB featured an interview where a researcher describes how the spreading of mis- and disinformation gave Instagram influencers more clicks and profit. Additionally, the Financial Times found that the most misleading information can often come from elected officials. It is also important to note that disinformation can also sometimes be ordinary individuals that see their post go viral. Such posts can easily sway many viewers, especially since individual stories can be very hard to fact-check.
How Does Disinformation Impact Asian and Pacific Islander American Communities?
AAPIs, like other Americans, may find disinformation in their daily lives as they scroll through social media.
### About APIAVote: Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) is the nation’s leading nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to engaging, educating, and empowering Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities to strengthen and sustain a culture of civic engagement. See our website for more information at https://www.apiavote.org/