During last week’s National Press Club Debate, Defence Minister Peter Dutton was determined to keep afloat false claims that Labor had done a back-door deal with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Citing Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s now defunct WeChat account as evidence of foreign interference, Dutton declared there was “no question at all” that the […] The post Ratcheting up a red line: How China is being used in the Australian election campaign appeared first on First Draft.| First Draft
The challenge of monitoring, understanding, defining and responding to mis- and disinformation is exacerbated during election campaigns. This report outlines tactics used by agents of disinformation to undermine elections as observed by First Draft’s global monitoring since 2015. This is placed within a brief overview of the characteristics and vulnerabilities that bear consideration during elections […] The post Australian election misinformation playbook appeared first on First Draft.| First Draft
What does the rise of live, audio-based social media mean for identifying and moderating misinformation? We’ve taken a look at the platforms and their moderation policies, and offer some key takeaways for journalists and misinformation researchers. (Updated January 31, 2022.) Audio misinformation comes in many forms One of the challenges of tracking audio misinformation on […] The post An introduction to live audio social media and misinformation appeared first on First Draft.| First Draft
False claims and conspiracy theories about the new Covid-19 variant Omicron emerged online after the variant was reported by South Africa to the World Health Organization (WHO) on November 24. The WHO said the variant has had a large number of mutations and may present an increased risk of reinfection, but studies on its transmissibility, […] The post False claims and conspiracy theories about Omicron emerge online alongside the new variant appeared first on First Draft.| First Draft
As the United States is poised to roll out its Covid-19 vaccine booster program for all adults, misleading information on social media around this latest development is likely to become the focal point of the next round of vaccine misinformation. Already, false narratives about additional vaccine shots creating a new wave of infections and newer […] The post Misinformation accompanies US expansion of boosters appeared first on First Draft.| First Draft
False comparisons have again been drawn between Nazi Germany and Covid-19 pandemic measures, this time prompted by the introduction of a lockdown for people in Austria who are not fully vaccinated. About two million people in Austria, or one-third of the population, were placed in lockdown on Monday, November 15, with the country facing a […] The post Austria’s lockdown for unvaccinated people falsely compared to Nazi policies appeared first on First Draft.| First Draft
Vaccine misinformation concerning the coronavirus spike protein has again picked up in recent days. Vaccine skeptics and deniers have weaponized this medical term to deter people from trusting Covid-19 vaccines, which have been proven effective and safe. Natural News, InfoWars and other well-known disinformation actors intentionally misinterpreted a recently published paper on a potential mechanism […] The post Disinformation actors share misconstrued narratives about coronavirus spike prot...| First Draft
Last week Pfizer published interim trial results for its experimental Covid-19 antiviral pill, Paxlovid, which the company said reduced the chance of hospitalization or death for some adults by almost 90 per cent. The US pharmaceutical giant’s analysis included 1,219 adults who had been diagnosed with mild to moderate Covid-19 and who had at least […] The post Facebook comment sections rife with misinformation following Pfizer’s Covid-19 antiviral pill announcement appeared first on Fir...| First Draft
Several videos of anti-vaccine medical workers recording themselves being suspended or fired from their jobs at healthcare facilities have generated significant interest in the past few days. Most physicians and healthcare workers in the United States have received Covid-19 vaccines. In a June survey, the American Medical Association reported that 96 percent of physicians have […] The post Videos of anti-vaccine healthcare workers being removed from jobs reinforce misleading claims appeared...| First Draft
Australia will begin offering Covid-19 vaccine booster shots to eligible members of its adult population on November 8. News that the country’s medicines regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), had provisionally approved the Pfizer vaccine as a third dose was met with skepticism, misinformation and conspiracy theories online. Shared as posts and comments on Facebook, […] The post Boost in vaccine misinformation and conspiracy theories as Australia prepares to roll out Pfize...| First Draft
News headlines about a UK-based Australian actress who suffered a stroke “after getting Covid vaccine” or “after getting the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine” overly emphasized a single incident without providing important context about the rarity of such reaction. The family of actress Melle Stewart, who had a stroke two weeks after her first dose of the […]| First Draft
To understand the misinformation ecosystem, here's a break down of the types of fake content, content creators motivations and how it's being disseminated| First Draft
