NEWS.com.au by Alex Blair 5/4/2022
A new study has revealed an overwhelming majority of pro-Russia disinformation is originating from a single country.A new study into Chinese state-run media outlets has exposed several instances of the proliferation of pro-Russia misinformation across numerous channels worldwide.
An analysis conducted by NewsGuard, an organisation dedicated to weeding out propaganda online, warned of the widespread impact Chinese-operated news channels have on social media.
Despite being banned in China, over half a billion users on Facebook now follow state-run outlets affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party.
NewsGuard’s research included social media posts by China Xinhua News claiming that Ukraine experimented with bat coronaviruses with US support.
This came after earlier claims Ukraine had received support from Washington to produce biological weapons in labs.
The news agency, which NewsGuard claims is recirculating pro-Russia content to Chinese communities across the globe, has more than 92 million followers on Facebook, almost four times the population of Australia.
Further posts from Chinese outlets also repeated the Kremlin’s line that Russian troops were not responsible for civilian killings in Bucha, which included the refutation of the bombing of Mariupol’s maternity hospital.
More:
https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/social/analysts-reveal-alarming-amount-of-prorussia-content-is-originating-in-china/news-story/783163c74cdf432c09229b20895ba7ff
