Far-right groups hit Germany’s flooded regions with conspiracy theories and disinformation Leading figures in the Querdenken anti-lockdown movement have traveled to some of the worst-affected areas, causing chaos and disrupting official relief efforts feature Josephine Lulamae
Hero, Zero, Hero: China’s Dr. Fauci is on a dizzy ride as pandemic persists Chinese scientists are silenced on social media as they criticize top infectious disease expert Zhang Wenhong, saying he plagiarized his PhD thesis. feature Isobel Cockerell
Letter From London: Snake news is fake news A recent hoax about escaped venomous reptiles highlights the conflict between facts and civic responsibility on social media — and the void created by the decline of local newsrooms essay Burhan Wazir
What does the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan mean for Central Asia? Afghanistan expert Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili on how regional relations could change amid the lack of a U.S. strategy q&a Mariam Kiparoidze
Russian vaccine propaganda is deepening divisions in conflict-riven Ukraine Conspiracy theories about Covid-19 and Sputnik V boosterism are a new front in the ongoing war between Kremlin-controlled separatists and government forces dispatch Lily Hyde
‘Influence for hire’ networks are manipulating online discussions throughout the Asia Pacific region Disinformation campaigns have become a lucrative economy in a part of the world where digital labor is cheap brief Mariam Kiparoidze
Vietnamese and Latino micro-influencers fight against vaccine disinformation in San Jose A diverse community of Instagram and TikTok stars is the latest weapon in the war against Covid-19 feature Erica Hellerstein
Inside the UK’s anti-lockdown media machine Throughout the pandemic, right-wing commentators have regularly railed against Covid-19 restrictions. Martin Daubney and his colleagues at Unlocked have made it their full time job feature Darren Loucaides
Kazakhstan is arresting protesters seeking information about missing relatives in Xinjiang Authorities in Almaty have moved to quell daily demonstrations outside the Chinese consulate feature Mariam Kiparoidze
Putin’s vaccine PR backfires in Latin America Nations are scrambling to administer shots to millions of people, after Russia fails to deliver on promises of Sputnik V brief Mariam Kiparoidze
Putin's playbook: Strongmen around the world are using Russian tactics to quell dissent Leaders from Nicaragua to Egypt are using "foreign agent" laws to target overseas-backed NGOs and media roundup Coda Staff
The Italian disinformation networks flying under Facebook’s radar Italian speakers are among the least protected from misinformation on the platform in Europe explainer Mary Steffenhagen
US Surgeon General lambasts social media as urgent health threat Conservatives and digital rights experts criticize the Biden administration’s recommendations on reforming social media brief Isobel Cockerell
Pro-China disinformation network weaponizes scientific research to attack Japan Tokyo’s plans to dispose of water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant in the Pacific Ocean come under fire from pro-CCP social media accounts brief Caitlin Thompson
Letter from Delhi: Trolls will enforce India’s new media censorship laws Fresh legislation is tailor-made by a regime that relies on mobs of supporters to do its bidding essay Aman Sethi
