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This Week in Misinformation: Pope Drip, Nashville Shooting, Trump Arrest

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This Week in Misinformation: Pope Drip, Nashville Shooting, Trump Arrest

6 April 2023

Prism Metanews
Apr 7, 2023
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This Week in Misinformation: Pope Drip, Nashville Shooting, Trump Arrest

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This Prism newsletter strives to be the paper of record for all that’s happening in misinformation in the United States. For any citizen whose life is impacted by misinformation, it helps you see how storylines evolve from multiple, sourced angles on important stories in one place. For amateur and professional misinformation watchers, it is your go-to resource for updates on peers, platforms, propagandists, and politicians. Learn more about Prism and our other products on our Substack page, follow us on Twitter, or like us on Facebook!

________________________________

The bad news? I kept you waiting an extra week for this. The good news? There is a whole heap to cover so it’s a good one.

(Might be a good one to share with a friend!)

Reliability scores for media outlets cited in the summary are in parentheses for each, courtesy of the terrific folks at Ad Fontes Media.

Now, on to our top stories.

The Internet ate up fake pictures of the Pope in a puffy jacket, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg.

  • Someone prompted an AI to make the images, which are actually pretty convincing (NBC News, 45.18). Making all kinds of synthetic media is just so, so easy with the latest generation of AI (NPR, 43.35). These systems have demonstrated abilities, today, to scam people with fake voices (Gizmodo,-), put a nonconsenting person's face onto pornographic video (NBC News, 45.18), generate realistic pictures of world leaders (PBS, 47.01), sing like Taylor Swift (The Atlantic, 38.34), and trick a parent into thinking their child is calling or create a professional headshot for LinkedIn or synthesize whole news anchors for phony online channels (CNN, 42.38).

  • And that’s just the multimedia stuff; text is even further along (Ars Technica, 46.34). ChatGPT, for example, has made up a bribery scandal supposedly involving the mayor of an Australian town (BBC, 46.15), made up a sexual harassment scandal supposedly involving a university professor (Washington Post, 37.94), and made up fake articles supposedly published by The Guardian (43.74).

  • No wonder, then, that some believe deepfakes are a mortal threat to the 2024 elections (Newsweek, 35.29) or are wary of how competently--if that’s the right word--Google’s Bard writes in the style of conspiracy theorists (Bloomberg, 45.05). Elon Musk and others took the extraordinary step this week of calling for a halt to the AI race until the situation, and maybe some effective regulation, can be sorted out (Associated Press, 48.40).

The Internet got a lot wrong about the Nashville school shooting.

  • As you’ve no doubt heard, a private religious school in Tennessee was the latest scene of front-page mass gun violence (New York Times, 42.44). It wasn’t long, of course, before people online got to speculating about what the shooter looked like (Associated Press, 48.40), what gender they were (NBC News, 45.18), and sundry other details. This happened with recent killings in Idaho, and the rumors wrecked innocent lives (Washington Post, 37.94).

  • Then there was the gun violence survivor and activist mom who hijacked a Fox News microphone and launched into talking points about media having to cover, again, the killing of children in these United States (Washington Post, 37.94). Conspiracist made her out to be an obvious plant of gun control partisans (@LisaGrande13 via Twitter).

  • This tragedy prompted demonstrations at the Tennessee Capitol (The Tennessean, -), which were energetic but was blown out of proportion by Republicans who were bent on expelling lawmakers who encouraged the protestors (PolitiFact, 45.22).

The Internet tried, unsuccessfully, to find an explanation for Donald Trump’s indictment other than that he is a criminal.

  • Yes, the Manhattan DA was the first to indict the former president (New York Times, 42.44), a rueful first for our country. Turning himself in, pleading not guilty, and returning to Florida on bond, Trump promptly unleashed a barrage of lies about it all in a rambly speech (FactCheck.org, -).

  • Conspiracy theorists, convinced that Trump can do no wrong, turned to some pretty implausible hypotheses as to why he seemed to be in serious legal trouble (New York Times, 42.44), for example that Jews like George Soros were puppeteering the District Attorney (Vox, 40.26). Where they seemed reluctant to go, though, was to go beyond talk of violence and actually organize or make plans to cause real world trouble (NBC News, 45.18).

  • Still, both the DA (NBC News, 45.18) and the judge in the case (ABC News, 46.70) were targeted with threats. Trump previously said there would be “potential death & destruction” if he were to be charged under New York law in this matter (Washington Post, 37.94) and has not, to my knowledge, condemned the threats.

What a grab bag we’ve got for you, folks: media organizations can issue corrections to increase accuracy, but not without losing audience trust; TikTok put out new community guidelines on AI and climate misinformation; YouTube temporarily suspends Right Side Broadcasting over ‘elections misinformation’; Matt Taibbi misrepresents a report that he cited in the Twitter Files; Elon Musk cheerleads, then backtracks, on NPR “state-affiliated” label as Twitter declines to enforce the legacy policy for actual Russian and Chinese propaganda outlets; a father writes in The Atlantic (38.34) the heartbreaking story of when anti-vaxxers found out that his 6-year-old died; anti-vaccine activist RFK Jr. will challenge Biden; 7 out of 10 doctors say misinformation does ‘actual harm'; creator of 15-minute cities reflects on his villainization at the hands of conspiracy theorists; the QAnon Shaman moves to a halfway house, and his roommates don't know who he is; officials in North Carolina and Arizona are getting in trouble for not certifying elections on pretext of fraud concerns, but state lawmakers are still catering to the conspiracy-minded; Fox News is all about pleasing its audience, even if it means airing fringe-y nonsense; and Ray Epps is suing Fox and demanding an apology from Tucker Carlson for telling lies about him.

All that, and a lot more, below. This is This Week in Misinformation.

-- Kevin


JANUARY 6TH

Trump warns of ‘potential death & destruction’ if he’s charged in hush-money case (Washington Post)
Letter sent to Bragg follows a wave of threats and highlights the security nightmare of a Trump indictment (NBC News)
Trump, facing potential indictment, holds defiant Waco rally (Associated Press)\
Trump opens campaign rally with song featuring Jan. 6 defendants (The Hill)
Lofgren says Trump rhetoric around Bragg case ‘more overt and blatant’ than Jan. 6 (The Hill)
Donald Trump vows to escalate attacks against Alvin Bragg – sources (The Guardian)
Trump indicted by N.Y. grand jury, first ex-president charged with crime (Washington Post)
Q world reactions to Trump indictment (@oneunderscore__ via Twitter)
Thread: Q adherents think Trump’s indictment could be part of the Storm they’ve been anticipating (@billdmccarthy via Twitter) 
More ‘storm’ posts (@AlKapDC via Twitter)
Conspiracy theorists online grasp for explanation behind indictment. (New York Times)
QAnon Believers Think Trump’s Indictment Will (Somehow) Lead to Mass Arrest of Democrats (Rolling Stone)
Online threats of violence but few signs of far-right organizing around Trump indictment (NBC News)
In Days Before Trump Appears in Court, Few Signs Point to a Jan. 6 Repeat (New York Times)
A Presidential Candidate and a City Brace for a Consequential Week (New York Times)
Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s ties to billionaire George Soros are not as close as Republicans claim (CNBC)
‘Soros-backed’: The GOP’s favorite attack on the man prosecuting Trump, explained (Vox)
Behind Trump Indictment, the Right Wing Finds a Familiar Villain in Soros (New York Times)
Donald Trump Indicted (New York Times)
Donald Trump has been indicted following an investigation into a hush money payment scheme. Here's what we know (CNN)
From President to Defendant: Trump Pleads Not Guilty to 34 Felonies (New York Times)
What's in Trump indictment? Key takeaways from unsealed court docs (CBS News)
Indictment elicits extensive coverage, and some gasps, on TV. (New York Times)
Fact-Checking Trump’s Speech After His Arraignment (New York Times)
Fact check: Trump delivers barrage of false claims in first post-indictment address (CNN)
Examining Trump's Claims on His Arrest and Arraignment (FactCheck.org)
Fact-checking Trump’s speech, comments on arraignment day (Washington Post)
Judge won't let news cameras broadcast Trump's full court appearance (CNN)
No electronics in courtroom for Trump's arraignment, judge says (Politico)
Trump Judge Warns Against Rhetoric That May Incite Violence (Bloomberg)
Trump hush-money Judge Juan Merchan is under heightened protection (Insider)
Judge in Trump's criminal case has received dozens of threats, police sources say (ABC News)
Trump Judge Juan Merchan Has Received Threats Amid Attacks From Ex-President And His Allies (Forbes)
$35 political contribution to Democrats raises fresh scrutiny of Judge Merchan (CNN)
Who is Juan Merchan, the NY judge handling Trump's case? (Associated Press)
Juan Merchan: Who is the judge overseeing the Donald Trump-Stormy Daniels case? (Reuters)
Federal judge rules Pence must testify before grand jury in Trump investigation (PBS)
Meadows, other top Trump aides ordered to testify in Jan. 6 probe as judge rejects claims of executive privilege (ABC News)
Former Trump Officials Must Testify in 2020 Election Inquiry, Judge Says (New York Times)
Man targeted by January 6 conspiracists demands retraction from Fox News and Tucker Carlson over ‘lies’ (CNN)
Man at Center of Jan. 6 Conspiracy Theory Demands Retraction From Fox (New York Times)
Pro-Trump protester Ray Epps seeks retraction of conspiracy theory from Tucker Carlson (NBC News)
Man targeted by January 6 conspiracists demands retraction from Fox News and Tucker Carlson over 'lies' (CNN)
Far-right extremist Riley Williams sentenced to 3 years in prison for storming Capitol on Jan. 6 (NBC News)
US Capitol rioter who barged into Pelosi's offices sentenced to three years in prison (CNN)
Riley Williams, convicted of entering Nancy Pelosi's office on Jan. 6, sentenced to 3 years in prison (CBS News)
The Dangerous Journey of John Eastman (Washington Monthly)
John Eastman's Fringe Views Are Becoming a Lot Less Fringe (Esquire)

ELECTIONS

Fox News Fires Producer Abby Grossberg, Citing Dominion Disclosure (Variety)
Former AG Barr defends Fox News in op-ed about Dominion lawsuit (The Hill)
Former Fox News producer Abby Grossberg calls the network a 'big corporate machine that destroys people' (NBC News)
Fox News producer who sued network over her Dominion testimony says she was fired, calls ex-coworkers 'activists, not journalists' (CNN)
Former Fox News producer Abby Grossberg has been subpoenaed in Smartmatic's lawsuit against Fox (NBC News)
Dominion wants Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, other Fox News hosts to testify at trial (CNBC)
Fox News says Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity will testify at defamation trial (The Guardian)
Dominion can force Murdochs to testify at Fox News defamation trial, judge says (CNN)
Rupert Murdoch Can Be Forced to Testify in Defamation Trial, Judge Says (New York Times)
Fox hosts' statements about Dominion were false, judge rules (NPR)
Fox News Suffers Major Setback in Defamation Case (New York Times)
Here’s what Fox News was hiding in its Dominion lawsuit redactions (NBC News)
Fox News CEO said correspondent’s fact-check of Trump’s election lies was ‘bad for business,’ new emails show (CNN)
How Fox Chased Its Audience Down the Rabbit Hole (New York Times)
Jury in defamation suit against Fox won't hear about Jan. 6 (ABC News)
Fox asks judge to bar references to January 6 attack at Dominion trial (CNN)
Two Republicans Kicked Off County Election Board in North Carolina for Failing to Certify Results (ProPublica)
2 Cochise County supervisors must pay thousands in legal fees for election certification drama (AZ Central)
Legislative election committees catered to conspiracy theorists (AZ Mirror)
AI deepfakes could advance misinformation in the run up to the 2024 election (NPR)
Far-Right Twitter Influencer Found Guilty of Spreading Misinformation to Voters (Wall Street Journal)

QANON & COMPANY

Conspiracy Theorists Are Freaking Out About the UK’s 'Armageddon Alert' (VICE)
QAnon Spent the Weekend Spreading a John Fetterman Body Double Conspiracy Theory (@daithaigilbert via VICE)
QAnon’s Newest Target Is Huggies Diapers for Some Reason (@daithaigilbert via VICE)
On Elon Musk’s Twitter, a reinstated QAnon influencer launched a conspiracy theory that left a company facing false pedophilia accusations (@AlKapDC via Media Matters)
U.S. Capitol rioter the 'QAnon Shaman' is released early from federal prison (NPR)
‘QAnon Shaman’ Jacob Chansley released early from federal prison, transferred to halfway house (CBS News)
The Real Reason the Jan. 6 'QAnon Shaman' Was Released From Prison Early (Time)
The QAnon Shaman's new roommates after he got out of jail had no idea who he was, report says (Insider)
‘Wow’: Lesley Stahl Left Nearly Speechless By Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Remark on Biden and Pedophiles (Mediaite)
The Literature of QAnon: From 4chan to January 6, Will Sommer on Reading the Authors of Conspiracy Theories (LitHub)
He Wanted to Unclog Cities. Now He’s ‘Public Enemy No. 1.’ (New York Times)
From 4chan to international politics, a bug-eating conspiracy theory goes mainstream (NPR)
Google’s Bard Writes Convincingly About Known Conspiracy Theories (Bloomberg)

COVID & HEALTH

70 percent of doctors say COVID misinformation has negatively impacted patients’ health: poll (The Hill)
Ask your doctor about misinformation: Most say it 'does actual harm,' poll finds (USA Today)
He Took Part In a Right-Wing Florida Hospital Protest. Now, He Is Losing His Board Certification for Spreading Covid Disinformation. (Mother Jones)
Opinion: The data on covid’s origins from the Wuhan market must be made public (Amy Maxmen via Washington Post)
Thread: Study author explains she cannot publicize the GISAID data (@angie_rasmussen via Twitter)
Opinion: Dr. Fauci Could Have Said a Lot More (Megan Stack via New York Times)
Thread: Hotez responds to NYT op-ed about lab leak (@PeterHotez via Twitter)
Non-Existent Vaccine Microchips Could Soon Be Banned in Missouri (Gizmodo)
Heather McDonald's on-stage collapse became #diedsuddenly fodder, but she’s alive and joking (NBC News)
The long shadow of Covid-19 myths (BBC)
Anti-vaccine activist RFK Jr. challenging Biden in 2024 (Associated Press)
Robert Kennedy Jr., a Noted Vaccine Skeptic, Files to Run for President (New York Times)
My 6-Year-Old Son Died. Then the Anti-vaxxers Found Out. (The Atlantic)

PLATFORMS

Deepfakes Could Destroy the 2024 Election (Newsweek)
AI can draw hands now. That’s bad news for deep-fakes. (Washington Post)
AI-generated images of Pope Francis in puffer jacket fool the internet (NBC News)
The swagged-out pope is an AI fake — and an early glimpse of a new reality (The Verge)
Misinformation, mistakes and the Pope in a puffer: what rapidly evolving AI can – and can’t – do (The Guardian)
Opinion: What the pope’s Balenciaga puffer jacket says about AI and misinformation (Alex Mahadevan via Poynter)
AI Image Creator Midjourney Halts Free Trials But It Has Nothing To Do With The Pope’s Jacket (Forbes)
Found through Google, bought with Visa and Mastercard: Inside the deepfake porn economy (NBC News)
These 'news anchors' are created by AI and they're spreading misinformation in Venezuela (CNN)
ChatGPT: Mayor starts legal bid over false bribery claim (BBC)
ChatGPT invented a sexual harassment scandal and named a real law prof as the accused (Washington Post)
ChatGPT is making up fake Guardian articles. Here’s how we’re responding (The Guardian)
Beware deepfake reality as Trump dominates headlines (CNN)
Even Trump Shared A Fake AI Image Of Himself: Here’s How To Spot A Deepfake (Forbes)
Fake AI images of Putin, Trump being arrested spread online (PBS)
Why ChatGPT and Bing Chat are so good at making things up (Ars Technica)
New AI tools make it easy to create fake video, audio and text (NPR)
Voice Deepfakes Are Calling. Here's How to Avoid Them. (Gizmodo)
Can AI create a professional headshot for your LinkedIn profile? See CNN producer's results (CNN)
CNN reporter calls his parents using an AI deepfake voice. Watch what happens next (CNN via YouTube)
The Rise of AI Taylor Swift (The Atlantic)
Opinion: How AI-generated content could both fuel disinformation and improve fact-checking (via Poynter)
Elon Musk among experts urging a halt to AI training (BBC)
Musk, scientists call for halt to AI race sparked by ChatGPT (Associated Press)
Twitter Says Parts of Its Source Code Were Leaked Online (New York Times)
Thread: The Twitter recommendation algorithm (@jonathanstray via Twitter)
Twitter is no longer policing Russian and Chinese state-backed media (Semafor)
Twitter Adds ‘State-Affiliated Media’ Label To NPR Account Putting It On Par With Russia Today (Forbes)
Elon Musk says NPR's 'state-affiliated media' label might not have been accurate (NPR)
Twitter strikes New York Times’ verified badge on Elon Musk’s orders (Washington Post)
Substack writer Matt Taibbi says IRS visited his home while he was testifying in Congress: Cruz, Musk weigh in (Fox Business)
IRS visited Twitter Files journalist Matt Taibbi's home same day as congressional testimony (New York Post)
Mehdi Hasan and Matt Taibbi Throw Down Over Twitter Files: ‘Would You Like to Criticize Musk Now?’ (Mediaite)
Misinformation researcher rebuts Matt Taibbi on incorrect reading of report he wrote (@alexstamos via Twitter)
With the right prompts Google’s Bard can easily jump its guardrails and generate misinformation on 8 out of 10 topics, research group finds (Fortune)
Right Side Broadcasting gets 7-day YouTube ban over ‘elections misinformation’ (The Hill)
Google launches a new feature to fight misinformation in India (Times of India)
How effective are TikTok misinformation debunking videos? (Harvard Misinformation Review)
TikTok overhauls its community guidelines, adds new policies on AI and climate misinformation (TechCrunch)
TikTok bans deepfakes of young people in updated guidelines (Fox News)
Indicted Chinese exile controls Gettr social media site, ex-employees say (Washington Post)
How Social Media Rewards Misinformation (Yale University)

GOVERNMENT & POLICY

East Europe governments urge tech firms to fight disinformation (Reuters)

INTERNATIONAL

The UK company spreading Russian fake news to millions (BBC)
Misinformation fuels false hopes among migrants after Mexico fire (NBC News)

GENERAL/OTHER

What We Know About the Nashville School Shooting (New York Times)
Online sleuths wrongly identify Tennessee shooter (@billdmccarthy via Twitter)
One of the individuals pointed to is a meme in far-right online spaces (@ellievhall via Twitter)
Nashville mass shooting suspect misidentified on social media (Agence France Presse)
Nashville shooting sparks false image of killer's bedroom (Agence France Presse)
Photo of Oklahoma protester misrepresented as Nashville shooter (Associated Press)
Details about the Nashville shooter's gender identity sow confusion and disinformation (NBC News)
Mass shootings: the other innocent victims (Bill McCarthy via Agence France Presse)
Twitter restricts Marjorie Taylor Greene's account over Nashville school shooting-related ‘vengeance’ post (CBS News)
Conspiracy theorists see a conspiracy in the gun control activist mom and gun violence survivor who hijacked a Fox News microphone on the air (@LisaGrande13 via Twitter)
Survivor of Highland Park gunfire crashes Nashville shooting news conference (Washington Post)
Multiple Schools Shut Down by ‘Swatting’ Calls Days After Nashville School Shooting (VICE)
Tennessee Capitol protest explainer: Here's what did and did not happen (The Tennessean)
Protesters against gun violence didn’t make their way onto the Tennessee House floor (PolitiFact)
True-crime fans seized on the Idaho killings. Their accusations derailed lives. (Washington Post)
Mainstreaming climate scepticism: Analysing the reach of fringe websites on Twitter (Institute for Strategic Dialogue)
A Scammer Who Tricks Instagram Into Banning Influencers Has Never Been Identified. We May Have Found Him. (ProPublica)
The corrections dilemma: Admitting your mistakes increases accuracy but reduces audience trust, a new study finds (Nieman Lab)
Opinion: We want objective judges and doctors. Why not journalists too? (Martin Baron via Washington Post)
Opinion: What’s the key to regulating misinformation? Let’s start with a common language. (Stephanie Jean Tsang via Poynter)
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This Week in Misinformation: Pope Drip, Nashville Shooting, Trump Arrest

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