disinformation

12 Posts

•

0 Followers

A protest by journalists at Georgia's parliament on 17 July 2021. Photo: Mariam Nikuradze/OC Media

Analysis

Datablog | Attitudes towards disinformation on social media in Armenia and Georgia

by Kristine Jinchveleishvili

•4 min read

Armenian and Georgian internet users have different perspectives on the effect of social media disinformation and its effect on their respective countries, with a CRRC analysis finding that Armenians are more likely to state that social media has a negative impact on their country. Disinformation — information that is intended to mislead — has in recent years been a widely-discussed topic globally, particularly in relation to its presence on social media. An analysis of Caucasus Barometer

An anti-vaccination protest in Tbilisi in July 2021. Photo: Mariam NIkuradze/OC Media

Analysis

Datablog | Do Georgians worry about fake news online?

by The Caucasus Datablog

•3 min read

Misinformation and disinformation have become common concerns around the world. Georgia is no exception, with the majority of the internet-using public concerned about fake news online. Caucasus Barometer 2021, an annual household survey run by CRRC, investigated a range of attitudes and behaviours related to social media in Georgia. 27% of those surveyed felt that social media had a negative effect on the country, 18% a positive effect, and 42% a neutral or mixed effect. Of those that th

2021 Georgian Local Elections

‘Disinformation and hate speech’: Georgia’s election commission goes to war with the press

by Tata Shoshiashvili

•2 min read

Georgia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) has published several critical reports accusing the media of misleading the public. The CEC’s Information Security Centre, which opened on 16 August with international funding, employs 15 people to monitor more than 200 central and regional television channels and online platforms, as well as more than 300 Facebook pages and groups. Earlier in September, the centre published its second media monitoring report, covering the period from 1–10 Septembe

Democracy

Opinion | You can’t counter disinformation without strong media

by Dominik K Cagara

•4 min read

We’re stuck in a vicious circle of democracy degradation. It’s no wonder that others are trying to exploit it to their dark aims — but it’s a wonder how misunderstood the role of the media is in solving this tangle. In late May, an Armenian website pushing conspiracy theories and lies (‘fake news’) hit the global headlines after an investigation by OpenDemocracy revealed it had mistakenly been financed by the US Government. Although the website wasn’t funded under a countering disinformation

COVID-19

Police raid house of journalist with disabilities in Stavropol

by OC Media

•2 min read

Police in Stavropol have searched the home of a journalist with disabilities confiscating her work equipment. The raid came at the request of the authorities of neighbouring Karachay-Cherkessia, who are investigating several news outlets that have been critical of their response to the COVID-19 pandemic for ‘disseminating fake news’. In a video message first published on 23 June by the BAZA Telegram channel, Anna Dargan said she had been left without work after the 15 June raid. ‘They took

Alliance of Patriots

A million voices for the Kremlin’s propaganda — the Alliance of Patriots’ ‘million-person poll’

by Volodymyr Soboliev

•11 min read

Do you agree that Georgia should declare military neutrality while maintaining European integration? That would mean that Georgia will not be a member of any military alliance. The military bases of foreign countries will not be located in Georgia and military training with the participation of foreign countries will not be conducted. There are three possible answers: ‘yes’, ‘no’, or ‘I don’t know/I haven’t decided yet’. This is a question being used by one anti-Western party with several MPs

'If all this is true, then [Health Minister] Arsen Torosyan, you are the most despicable person!' -- a headline on medmedia.am. Photo: Screen capture of medmedia.am on 28 May.

Armenia

Armenian COVID-19 ‘fake news’ site was funded by US

by OC Media

•2 min read

US taxpayer money has funded a controversial health news website in Armenia that is spreading ‘incredibly dangerous’ COVID-19 misinformation, an investigation by openDemocracy has revealed. Medmedia.am was created in 2019 after a grant was awarded to the Armenian Association of Young Doctors (AAYD), a local NGO, by the US Embassy’s Democracy Commission Small Grants programme. The website is a news and content portal that often republishes Facebook posts. A number of these posts repurposed