disinformation

A man holds a Black Lives Matter flag during a March protest in St. Paul, Minn. Support for Black Lives Matter surged after protests following George Floyd's death. Activists charge that disparaging posts targeting BLM are part of an overall effort to und

National

Black Lives Matter Fights Disinformation To Keep The Movement Strong

2:56pm May 25, 2021

by Cheryl Corley

Calls for racial justice and an end to police brutality still fill social media platforms a year after George Floyd's murder. But Black Lives Matter says posts targeting it are full of disinformation.

Queue Listen Now

Journalist Masha Borzunova during a taping of the show Fake News in TV Rain's Moscow studios.

World News

Russian Show 'Fake News' Wages Lone Battle Against The Kremlin's TV Propaganda

11:03am May 15, 2021

by Lucian Kim

There is almost no news alternative to government propaganda on Russian television — save for one channel known as TV Rain. But it only streams on the Web after cable dropped.

Queue Listen Now

The majority of anti-vaccine claims on social media trace back to a small number of influential figures, according to researchers.

Health & Safety

Just 12 People Are Behind Most Vaccine Hoaxes On Social Media, Research Shows

12:18pm May 14, 2021

by Shannon Bond

The majority of false claims about COVID-19 vaccines on social media trace back to just a handful of influential figures. So why don't the companies just shut them down?

Queue Listen Now

A man walks by a mobile health clinic displaying a picture of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega (right) and his wife and vice president, Rosario Murillo, in Managua on April 14, 2020. The government claims to be successfully combating the pandemic but he

Citizens Work To Expose COVID's Real Toll In Nicaragua As Leaders Claim Success

5:53pm May 12, 2021

by Carrie Kahn

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega's government insists the country has low numbers of cases and deaths from the pandemic. A grassroots group is working to reveal the true impact is far worse.

An Ultra-Orthodox Jewish man receives a dose of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine in the Israeli city of Bnei Brak in February.

How Israel Persuaded Reluctant Ultra-Orthodox Jews To Get Vaccinated Against COVID-19

6:24pm April 22, 2021

by Daniel Estrin

As anti-vaccine sentiment spread among ultra-Orthodox Jews, officials waged an aggressive campaign against rumors and hesitancy. Today, 80% of ultra-Orthodox adults over age 30 are vaccinated.

Queue Listen Now

Deprogrammers more commonly referred to as "exit counselors" or "de-radicalizers," are helping people caught up in cultic ideologies to reconnect with reality.

'Exit Counselors' Strain To Pull Americans Out Of A Web Of False Conspiracies

3:42pm March 03, 2021

by Tovia Smith

With disinformation spreading on an unprecedented scale, experts in cult deprogramming are turning their focus to those who have fallen down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories.

Queue Listen Now

False conspiracy theories have always been a part of U.S. history, but experts say they're spreading faster and wider than ever before.

'More Dangerous And More Widespread': Conspiracy Theories Spread Faster Than Ever

7:26am March 02, 2021

by Joel Rose

While false conspiracies aren't new, experts say their reach is spreading – accelerated by social media, encouraged by former President Trump, and weaponized in a way that is unprecedented.

Queue Listen Now

The disinformation and "big lie" of election fraud motivated many people to storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Disinformation Fuels Distrust And Even Violence At All Levels Of Government

7:10pm March 01, 2021

Political scientists say growing acceptance of unfounded conspiracy theories is fueling disengagement and distrust in democratic institutions, an effect that is trickling down to local politics.

Queue Listen Now

Protesters gather outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 in Washington, D.C., some with signs and symbols of Christianity. Pro-Trump protesters entered the U.S. Capitol that day after mass demonstrations in the nation's capital.

Evangelical Leaders Condemn 'Radicalized Christian Nationalism'

11:28am February 24, 2021

by Sarah McCammon

In response to the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, more than 100 evangelical leaders have published a statement calling on other church heads to speak out against Christian nationalism in their ranks.

Protesters gather at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Later that day, the Capitol building was breached by a violent mob driven by what's commonly known as "the big lie": that President Biden wasn't legitimately elected.

Disinformation Fuels A White Evangelical Movement. It Led 1 Virginia Pastor To Quit

1:15pm February 21, 2021

Some evangelical circles have incubated and spread conspiracy theories for years. It's part of a movement called Christian nationalism that researchers call a threat to American democracy.

Queue Listen Now