Latest Misinformation News

PEN America condemns the arrest of Iranian activist Reza Khandan

Dec. 14, 2024 04:01 AM EST

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — PEN America condemned the arrest of Reza Khandan, Iranian activist and husband of leading human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, and demanded his immediate release. Karin Deutsch Karlekar, Director of Writers at Risk at the literary and human rights...

After Trump's win, Russian disinformation aims to drive a wedge between the US and Ukraine

Dec. 05, 2024 07:34 AM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — As President Joe Biden uses his final days in office to boost Ukraine's defenses, Russia is playing a different game: spreading disinformation aimed at eroding U.S. support for Ukraine before Donald Trump's return to the White House next month. Since the U.S....

Iran frees jailed Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi for 21 days on medical grounds after surgery

Dec. 05, 2024 03:06 AM EST

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi was released temporarily from prison Wednesday after undergoing a complex surgery in Iran that saw part of a bone in her right leg removed over cancer fears, her supporters said. Video footage from the...

How Brazilian police say Bolsonaro plotted a coup to stay in office

Nov. 29, 2024 23:12 PM EST

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's Federal Police in late November formally accused far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro and 36 others of planning a coup to keep him in office. The agency described a multi-step scheme, substantiated by evidence and testimony, in an 884-page report. The...

Jailed Kremlin critic convicted again and handed new prison term for opposing the war in Ukraine

Nov. 29, 2024 06:31 AM EST

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Imprisoned Kremlin critic Alexei Gorinov was convicted again on Friday for opposing Russia's war in Ukraine and handed a three-year prison term. A swift, three-day trial against Gorinov, once a low-profile activist, underscored Moscow's intolerance of any...

Australia withdraws a misinformation bill after critics compare it to censorship

Nov. 24, 2024 05:26 AM EST

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia's government has withdrawn a bill that would give a media watchdog power to monitor digital platforms and require them to keep records about misinformation and disinformation on their networks. Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said...

A former staffer exposes how Russia's disinformation machine worked in Central African Republic

Nov. 21, 2024 10:04 AM EST

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — When Ephrem Yalike-Ngonzo was first approached in 2019 by a Russian who suggested he help promote the activities of the Central African Republic's army and Russian forces in the country, the journalist believed that he was doing the right thing. But he soon...

Fighting conspiracy theories with comedy? That's what the Onion hopes after its purchase of Infowars

Nov. 14, 2024 19:30 PM EST

Headlines from the satirical website the Onion on Thursday: “New Dating Site Suggests People You Already Know But Thought You Were Too Good For.” “Trump Boys Have Slap Fight Over Who Gets to Run Foreign Policy Meetings.” “Here's Why I Decided to Buy Infowars.” Only one...

The US election was largely trouble-free, but a flood of misinformation raises future concerns

Nov. 08, 2024 11:39 AM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — A relatively trouble-free presidential election was good news for those working to restore faith in the system. Less encouraging was a flood of misinformation that sought to undermine trust in voting and sow chaos, something experts say is likely to get worse in the years ahead....

Peeking behind the curtain: News outlets are conscious of the need to explain election reporting

Nov. 05, 2024 15:11 PM EST

NEW YORK (AP) — The Associated Press will have thousands of people on hand this week to count votes and declare winners and losers in the U.S. election, continuing a tradition that began in 1848. There’s an even greater priority this year on explaining that process to outsiders....