How foreign rivals exploited protest to spread disinformation
UC College of Arts and Sciences professor talks about foreign meddling
The Dallas Morning News turned to a professor at the University of Cincinnati to explain how propagandists sowed division with disinformation during recent protests in Los Angeles.
In one example posted to X, propagandists shared photos of pallets of bricks pulled off the website of a building materials wholesaler in Malaysia. But the propagandists alleged the pallets were delivered to the Los Angeles protests for use by vandals. “It's Civil War!!“ the post added. The post was viewed 800,000 times, according to the New York Times.
“It serves a political interest,” UC Professor Jeffrey Blevins told the Dallas Morning News.
Blevins is co-author of the 2024 book “Social Media and Digital Politics: Networked Reason in an Age of Digital Emotion.” He teaches in UC's School of Public and International Affairs.
The editorial board said Russia wants to exacerbate pre-existing divisions in American society, which weakens our ability to influence international events. China promotes the image of America as a violent and disorderly place.
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