Into the depleted field of journalism in America, a handful of websites have appeared in recent weeks with names suggesting a focus on news close to home: D.C. Weekly, the New York News Daily, the Chicago Chronicle and a newer sister publication, the Miami Chronicle.
In fact, they are not local news organizations at all. They are Russian creations, researchers and government officials say, meant to mimic actual news organizations to push Kremlin propaganda by interspersing it among an at-times odd mix of stories about crime, politics and culture.
While Russia has long sought ways to influence public discourse in the United States, the fake news organizations — at least five, so far — represent a technological leap in its efforts to find new platforms to dupe unsuspecting American readers. The sites, the researchers and officials said, could well be the foundations of an online network primed to surface disinformation ahead of the American presidential election in November.
Patrick Warren, […]
Interesting article. Its first phrase states: “Into the depleted field of journalism in America…..” Think about that. This is an opening created in the news landscape of the United States for multiple reasons: first, the multi-million dollar owners of main stream publications do not value news. They value propaganda. Hence, they cut journalists, and editors. Preferring, it seems, to insert AI generated content in place of professionally written material. Second, main stream publications are no longer trusted by the public, as the citizens realize they have been lied to again and again. You can trace this starting from the red scares in the 1950’s through Vietnam, to Iraq, to Afghanistan, to Ukraine. Victory is always around the corner, all that’s needed are more resources. We will see the results in 6 months time. These foreign policy lies don’t even touch on the lies promoted in service of commercialized science. You can see this in the non-skeptical attitudes of material supported and generated by big tobacco, petro-chemical firms ( most recent and prominent being Exxon), big Pharma, and most recently with public health. Third, politicians and governmental officials lie and lie, but it has often taken mainstream media years to adopt skepticism regarding the statements made by officials. The American public has learned its lessons of distrust well. This is an American generated problem. The opening was generated by us.Whining about it will not help, especially in light of the sorted history the American government has had in interfering in other country’s elections. The solution is calling power to account, on all levels, in a straight forthright manner. There is a hunger for this in the United States. Feed the need for true journalism and it will be rewarded.