George Winston War propaganda is rampant wherein the popular imagination is considered, and at least for western audiences, it really is only in recent years that war has been portrayed either negatively or realistically, including casualties, loss and the true drama of conflict. While most movies may flub a detail or two for the sake… Continue reading Russian War Story Proven to be a Fabrication
Running a marathon is difficult enough, but being handed a wet flag during the final leg may have caused a Chinese racer to lose the lead. He Yinli is being both chastised and supported, in that she was closing in on the lead runner when she was handed the Chinese national flag. She wound up… Continue reading Patriotic Propaganda In China?
Anonymous expert compilation, analysis, and reporting. </end editorial> Zakharova’s peculiar comments on invading Ukraine attracting some attention, even though she attempted to later backtrack. The Vozhd makes many pronouncements at the G-20 on Ukraine, admitting Russia is at war with Ukraine, and saying it will not end until Ukraine has a Russia-friendly government, which of… Continue reading Ukraine / Russia Ad Hoc Media Update (49)
In one of the most egregious examples of fabricated propaganda, state-sponsored and state-controlled RIA Novosti published an over-the-top smear piece targeting the UK and Bill Browder. Why do I say it’s propaganda? The article contains no documentation. No proof. No evidence. No citations. No links. Zero. Zip. Nada. No corroboration. No verification. Numerous references to… Continue reading Russia’s RIA Novosti Desperately Publishes Really Bad Propaganda Piece Targeting UK and Browder
Public Diplomacy and Propaganda: Their Differences (2008) [Blast from a soon-to-be-disappearing past] [Found on the Web:] Public Diplomacy and Foreign Policy Tailored Review of the Marshall Aid Commemorative Commission:Written statement – HLWS1029 Public Diplomacy and Propaganda: Their Differences (2008) [Blast from a soon-to-be-disappearing past] Posted: 05 Nov 2018 02:51 PM PST unc.edu This page is… Continue reading John Brown’s Public Diplomacy Press and Blog Review
I attended a conference this past week and I realized that the terminology of IO/IW/Propaganda/SC/PD and every other ‘information term’ is being abused. Seriously abused. Some of the terms receiving serious abuse: Information Operations Information Warfare Propaganda Cyberwar/Cyberwarfare Strategic Communications Public Diplomacy Disinformation Misinformation Malinformation It was seriously disconcerting to hear cyber experts stating they… Continue reading The Use And Abuse Of Information Terms – Solution?
InfowarCon is a simply amazing event. Experts from any and all disciplines having to do with information warfare, writ large, gather, speak, and mingle. Meeting the founder of InfowarCon, Winn Schwartau, is worth the trip alone. His mind is a Category 6 hurricane of expertise, knowledge, experience, and ideas – he’s a force of nature.… Continue reading InfoWarCon Is This Week, 1 to 3 Nov in Leesburg VA
Russian propaganda, at least from the Russian troll farm, is comical, to say the least. They believe in quantity and not quality and their latest video is just a tragic waste of time. Thank you to Polygraph.Info for helping expose them more! Also, thank you for the laugh at their expense. #RussiaFail </end editorial> October 25,… Continue reading Polygraph.Info: Russian Troll Farm’s Comically Fake U.S. Military Video Incites Ridicule Online
I swear, either Tom Rogan, the author of this article, read the editorial I wrote yesterday, here: Salisbury CW Attack / Syria / Iran / Russia Ad Hoc Update (143), or we think alike. My prediction is that this exact scenario will be presented to the world in excruciating detail, after a few days. Expect details beyond… Continue reading The Upcoming Novichok GRU Officers Russian Extravaganza
Webcast available Register Please join the Atlantic Council for an event entitled Putin’s Propaganda: Pushing Back Against Kremlin-Run Television, on Tuesday, September 11, 2018, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Atlantic Council headquarters (1030 15th Street NW, 12th Floor, West Tower Elevators, Washington, DC 20005). Putin’s regime has been accused of using politically motivated assassinations as a tool to silence… Continue reading Event: Putin’s Propaganda—Pushing Back Against Kremlin-Run Television
It’s interesting that the term “war propaganda” is used, as if to differentiate from ‘propaganda during peace’. Surprisingly, there is no reference to the US Holocaust Memorial Museum’s exhibit on propaganda, which became a traveling show a few years ago. </end editorial> How is hawkish fanaticism whipped up at home? One exhibition offers insight. By BRADLEY… Continue reading The Dark Side of War Propaganda
The 2018 US midterm election is hereby in session. More Russian fake news sites are popping up. The quote is fake, it is old (2017 allegations), and let’s take a look at the source. The NY Evening @TheNYevening Bio: Truth, Justice and Wisdom New York, NY nyeveningnews.com Joined November 2016 The first line, “Truth, Justice and… Continue reading New Russian Fake News Site Pops Up: The NY Evening
I just read a moving article. It was heartfelt, emotionally evocative, and for someone not conversant in Russian Information Warfare, convincing. I was sent the entire article by a close friend. This is my review of “Our democracy is more important than Facebook’s profits“. While the article contains quite a few very good points, to… Continue reading On “Our democracy is more important than Facebook’s profits”
Guys and Gals of the information warfare community, information operations world, strategic communications, public diplomacy, cybersecurity, cyberwarfare, electronic warfare, etc – InfowarCon is THE event that you should attend. I’ve been to quite a few of these through the years. Founded by Winn Schwartau back when the concept of information warfare was just gaining traction… Continue reading InfowarCon 2018: CALL FOR PAPERS
This article is the new standard by which other articles on information warfare will be judged. This article is being cited, already, as the ” detailed analysis of the computational propaganda campaign” on #ReleaseTheMemo. It would be good to read this entire article and consider modeling future analysis in a similar fashion. Kudos to Molly McKew. </end editorial>… Continue reading How Twitter Bots and Trump Fans Made #ReleaseTheMemo Go Viral
Russia is building its presence throughout the world, hoping to ‘sell’ Russia. I’m surprised that RT did not fund such an effort in Hungary in 2014, when their budget increased significantly. It’s good to see that Hungary keeps track of RT. There appears to be a trust issue. Pourquoi? </end editorial> September 26, 2017 4:04 pm·… Continue reading Russia Today and Hungary
Quote: “We don’t know who places ads on Facebook or how” “Russia was never involved in this.” “[W]e have never heard about this.” Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman, said on a conference call, as quoted by state-run RIA Novosti news agency. Russian official strategy whenever confronted: Deny, deny, deny Attack the messenger Attack the message Say “we have… Continue reading Kremlin Says It Doesn’t Know Who Buys Political Ads on Facebook
It should register as an agent of a foreign government. By James Kirchick September 20 James Kirchick is a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution and the author of “The End of Europe: Dictators, Demagogues, and the Coming Dark Age.” Last week, the Russian government-funded cable network RT announced that its American arm had been asked by the Justice… Continue reading RT wants to spread Moscow’s propaganda here. Let’s treat it that way.
I love how Russia responds to the American press, using “In the Now” as a weapon in their Information Warfare kit bag. “In the Now” is an English language Russian program put out by RT and hosted by Anissa Naouai. Anissa is an American now working in Moscow and has hosted this program on RT since 2009,… Continue reading Russia, Smarting From Morgan Freeman Video, Responds Via “In The Now” And Fails
BY PATRICK TUCKER SEPTEMBER 12, 2017 The Global Engagement Center is struggling to keep up with its missions: countering ISIS recruitment and Russian disinformation. The chief technology officer at the U.S. State Department’s anti-propaganda center left last week, along with two other members of its analytics team, Defense One has learned. The departures raise new questions about the Global Engagement… Continue reading Analysts Are Quitting the State Department’s Anti-Propaganda Team
The Russian troll farm at St. Peterburg, Russia, has a new name. Glavset. Facebook May Have More Russian Troll Farms To Worry About reminded me that the Internet Research Agency is now known as Glavset. I reported on them previously, in March 2017: Investigation of RBC: how a “media factory” grew out of the “troll factory, but I… Continue reading Glavset Is New Name For Russian Internet Research Agency, The Russian Troll Farm
A senior Russian official in the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted a link to an article in Russian. Most of the readers of his page are Russians, he posts a breakdown of his readership weekly. Mysteries of the American tragedy of September 11, 2001 (Загадки американской трагедии 11 сентября 2001 года) The article is in… Continue reading Russian Propaganda Targeting Russians
By THOMAS ERDBRINK AUG. 26, 2017 TEHRAN — It’s a common theme in the state-controlled media in Iran: The armed forces are not to be trifled with; they’re tough men doing a tough job, defending a country permanently under threat. Nevertheless, it was a shock to some young Iranians when a video appeared featuring a well-known rapper delivering… Continue reading As ‘Death to America’ Chants Lose Power, Iran Retools Propaganda With Rap Videos
I was perusing YourNewsWire, today, sharing information with a friend, demonstrating conspiracy theories, fake news, Russian proxy sites, and so on. YourNewsWire is a known fake news/Russian propaganda site run by Sean Adl-Tabatabai, which I previously exposed at Russian Proxy “News” Site Exposed: YourNewsWire. It’s almost meaningless to continue exposing YourNewsWire, obviously, he’s earning clickbait money. Although I… Continue reading Truth, Fake New, And Conspiracy Theories – Imran Awan And YourNewsWire
The searing propaganda is aimed to embolden the country and urge its people to resist US imperialism – with an arsenal of missiles eyed as the ultimate threat Arnel Hecimovic Sunday 20 August 2017 16.11 EDTLast modified on Sunday 20 August 2017 16.13 EDT A propaganda poster with loaded imagery reads, ‘Our answer!’ A North Korean propaganda poster declares, ‘Kick… Continue reading North Korea’s bold wave of propaganda art – in pictures
Published on July 20, 2017 by Jieun Choi A woman with curled up hair and enamel white pumps flashes her legs in an archetypal Marilyn Monroe posture — wind blows from below, ballooning up her flowing dress, which she pushes down just before revealing too much. “WHO’S STOPPING YOU?” “IF YOU RUN, IT TAKES JUST FIVE MINUTES!”… Continue reading Ppira: Women’s Bodies as Bait in Propaganda War Between Two Koreas
By Paul Goble 2017/07/16 The flood of news stories from a country as large, diverse and strange as the Russian Federation often appears to be is far too large for anyone to keep up with. But there needs to be a way to mark those which can’t be discussed in detail but which are… Continue reading ‘Kremlin’s G-20 photofake to make Putin look important’ and other neglected Russian stories
Before anybody panics, the source of the news report is People’s Daily Online, not exactly a hardcore propaganda outlet. On the other hand, China prefers its official propaganda to be much more subtle than does Russia. Yes, both TASS and the People’s Daily Online are state owned and both tend to publish some highly skewed pieces,… Continue reading China, Russia to further strengthen media cooperation
By Lillian Michel “Good morning. This is the El Bus TV newscast, we’ve come to bring you these headlines.” What sounds like the start of the five o’clock evening news is surprising Venezuelans in the least expected of places — the city bus. El Bus TV is a new initiative launched by a group of journalists,… Continue reading Venezuelans turn city buses into newsrooms in order to fight disinformation
Despite years of fake news online, we still have no idea how to protect against it. ANNALEE NEWITZ – 6/26/2017, 5:17 PM We’ve learned something from the investigation into whether Russia meddled in the US election that has nothing to do with politics. Humans are more vulnerable than ever to propaganda, and we have no clue what… Continue reading We desperately need a way to defend against online propaganda
This appears to be an attempt for a coup in Venezuela. Unfortunately the helicopter attack on the Supreme Court complex in Caracas was underwhelming and the masses did not join. The pilot and his compadres have not been apprehended. This is an indication of growing unrest, The reason I post is due to the huge… Continue reading Venezuela’s Maduro: Helicopter attacked Supreme Court
JEMIMAH STEINFELD 16 June 2017 People see propaganda as a modern problem – manipulation by mass media. But the story is far older, and the tactics are timeless. While the game has moved on, the rules remain the same. The EU’s police agency, Europol, recently revealed evidence that Isis is creating its own social media… Continue reading What the Romans did for us: on the age-old art of propaganda
This is a noble effort, very necessary, but fraught with many dangers. First, what is propaganda? I have had deep, detailed, and sometimes heated discussions with a British expert about the definition of propaganda. Dr. Emma Briant gives perhaps, the best current definition for propaganda in her excellent book “Propaganda and Counter-Terrorism”, but I believe… Continue reading SBU suggests criminal liability for enemy propaganda in Ukraine’s media
By MALACHY BROWNE, NATALIE RENEAU and MARK SCHEFFLER | Apr. 26, 2017 | 7:09 A New York Times investigation shows how Syria and its main partner, Russia, have distorted the facts surrounding the chemical weapons attack on Khan Sheikhoun. Source: https://www.nytimes.com/video/world/middleeast/100000005063944/syria-chemical-attack-russia.html
I must say, if all else, this article makes one wonder at the inherent bias of the Washington Post. I took a look through the stories the blogger mentions and I can understand his perspective. I cannot disagree. I then reviewed various reports from the Washington Post, through the years, and again, the overall bias… Continue reading Washington Post Accused Of Peddling Palestinian Propaganda
For your edification and, perhaps, discussion. I definitely do not subscribe to the author’s perspective on some issues. I also believe some people put too much faith into nit-noid meaningless details. </end editorial> Ben Hersh design @ medium May 22 Pay attention: Typography isn’t just catchy visuals. It can also be dangerous. Typography is undergoing… Continue reading How Fonts Are Fueling the Culture Wars
Turkey summoned the U.S. ambassador on May 22 to protest what it called the “aggressive and unprofessional actions” of U.S. authorities against the bodyguards of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his visit to Washington last week. The move prompted a rebuke from the U.S. State Department, which said the conduct of the Turkish security personnel… Continue reading Ankara Summons U.S. Ambassador In Dispute Over Washington Brawl
A very unusual set of stories out of China. The first story is at the bottom, the “PR Save” story is on top. A failed photoshop showing China’s first domestically made aircraft carrier, the Liaoning was also accompanied by land-based China J-15 planes, Russian F-35 fighters, and American amphibious ships. The South China Morning Post… Continue reading Chinese Defence Ministry’s Propaganda Fail Turnaround
Remember all those Congressional hearings about Russian propaganda, disinformation, fake news? Not so much now, eh? That is because Russia has shifted its main effort towards France. Russia has lifted and shifted fire, to France and they’re starting in Germany. They are flooding France’s social media. They’re still targeting the US, but with less spectacular and… Continue reading Russia-linked fake news floods French social media
12 April 2017 NATO in the Disinformation Age: Understanding the Threat A Seminar with the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) and the NATO Strategic Communications Center of Excellence. Thursday, April 27, 2017 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. ***Location: Park Inn by Radisson Riga Valdemara, 1 Krogus Street, Riga, LV-1048, Latvia*** In today’s information… Continue reading Event: NATO in the Disinformation Age: Understanding the Threat
Elsewhere, in the news, the overt use of propaganda continues. In New Zealand, however, practitioners of Falun Gong do not tolerate propaganda aimed at their persecution and are using legal tools at their disposal to object. It is not quick, it is not easy, but they do have a recourse. </end editorial> Tuesday, 4… Continue reading Kiwis Say No to Chinese Communist Propaganda
April 02, 2017 – 16:37 Context A snapshot of online manipulation on the eve of a parliamentary vote Source: Twitter. Accounts posting the same wording and image ahead of the Armenian election Armenians go to the polls on April 2 for the first election under a new law which marks the transition towards a parliamentary… Continue reading Fakes, Bots, and Blockings in Armenia by Russia
Today Prometheus Center has released an English version of the book ““. The guide is intended for journalists, researchers, war experts and general readers seeking to form their own opinion on the war in the eastern part of Ukraine. The book is distributed free of charge. You can download PDF version here: https://prometheus.ngo/…/2…/03/Donbas_v_Ogni_ENG_web_1-2.pdf If you… Continue reading Donbas in Flames. Guide to the Conflict Zone
BY KATIE BO WILLIAMS, JOE UCHILL AND MORGAN CHALFANT – 03/30/17 09:41 AM EDT Senate Intel Committee kicks off rare open hearing on alleged Russia interference Video at link. 00:0500:58 Autoplay: On | Off The Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday is holding its first open hearing in its investigation into Russian interference in the presidential… Continue reading Senate Intelligence Committee holds first public Russia hearing
Coalition official says slain jihadists were part of efforts to recruit foreign fighters and encourage terror attacks in West BY AFP March 31, 2017, 4:05 am The US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group said Thursday that it had killed a propaganda chief and associates in an airstrike in the western Iraqi town of Al-Qaim.… Continue reading IS propaganda team killed in Iraq airstrike
How George Creel sold the Great War to America, and America to the world. By Nicholas J. Cull Mar 21 2017 Committee on Public Information poster from 1917 promoting the United States Shipping Board Emergency Fleet Corporation. W. D. Stevens/Library of Congress. In 1917, on the brink of the U.S. entry into the Great War, a… Continue reading Master of American Propaganda
The United States has taken no steps in any of these categories. The US has not committed to backing Ukraine and its NATO allies in defending Ukraine against illegal Russian aggression, a Russian invasion, and Russian infiltration. Ukraine needs lethal aid, first and foremost, with the immediate need for FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank missiles, as Russia has built… Continue reading Six Immediate Steps to Stop Putin’s Aggression
Tuesday, 14/03/2017 by Anders Hofseth This article was first published in Norwegian on NRKbeta in February 2017 and was translated into English by its author for the Reuters Institute Introduction The media of the world may be facing a crisis more serious than a media economy in free fall, a crisis involving the foundations itself: Trust.… Continue reading Fake News, Propaganda and Influence Operations – A Guide To Journalism In A New, And More Chaotic, Media Environment
If anyone was not sure the United States has a mandate to counter propaganda and fake news, this is it. Without naming Russia specifically, this is a censure of their disinformation activities and should provide the United States the mandate countering propaganda and disinformation. This is applicable to China, Iran, and others who generate propaganda,… Continue reading Amid rise of ‘fake news,’ authorities should ensure truthful info reaches public – UN, regional experts
History stopped in 1936 – after that, there was only propaganda. So said George Orwell of an era when the multiple miseries of the Great Depression were compounded by the ruthless media strategies of Hitler and Stalin Piers Brendon Saturday 11 March 2017 06.00 EST Truth was the first casualty of the Great Depression. Reflecting the… Continue reading Death of truth: when propaganda and ‘alternative facts’ first gripped the world
To Inform is to Influence 