Beware of ‘cheapfakes’ | Taylor Swift disinfo

This is a shortened version of Get Smart About News , a free weekly newsletter that that explores trends and issues in misinformation, social media, artificial intelligence and journalism. Subscribe HERE .

Top Story of the week

Climate change deniers have shifted their strategies on YouTube from denying climate change outright to undermining trust in the climate movement , science and solutions. In an analysis of 12,058 video transcripts from 96 YouTube channels between 2018 and 2023, a Center for Countering Digital Hate report found that this new tactic accounted for 70% of climate denial claims in 2023 — up from 35% in 2018. Researchers worry that the videos could potentially impact support for climate action and influence younger viewers on YouTube, which the Pew Research Center has identified as the most popular social media platform for 13- to 17-year-olds.

Note: The Center for Countering Digital Hate used artificial intelligence technology to analyze YouTube video transcripts and categorize content between old and new climate change denial tactics.

Related:

• “Climate misinformation is mutating on YouTube – and the platform is profiting” (Louise Boyle, The Independent).
• “Science vs. social media: Why climate change denial still thrives online” (Jessica Guynn, USA Today).

RumorGuard post of the week

NLP created RumorGuard to fact-check viral rumors and help you build news literacy skills. Sign up to push back against misinformation HERE .

Image of Taylor Swift wearing anti-Trump T-shirt is doctored

? NO: This is not an authentic photo of Taylor Swift wearing an anti-Trump T-shirt.

?? YES: The image of Swift’s face was taken from a 2019 photograph and digitally added to the body of a person wearing a tee with the slogan, “Nope Not again.”

?? YES: Manipulated images appearing to show celebrities wearing T-shirts with political messages are common on social media.

NewsLit takeaway: Altering photos of celebrities to make it look like they are wearing clothing that endorses or criticizes a politician is a common form of manipulation online. These fake photos generally serve two purposes: to boost the popularity of specific political opinions by creating the illusion that they are endorsed by well-liked celebrities and to serve as advertisements for merchandise (the T-shirts featured can generally be found for sale through a quick search for the phrase). In either case, these political and merchandising opportunists are manipulating both the content and their audiences.

The next time you see what appears to be a photograph of a celebrity in a political T-shirt, be skeptical and do a quick reverse image search to verify or debunk the image.

Related:

• “Taylor Swift 'Definitely Didn't Write' the Book Argylle Despite Online Conspiracy, Says Film's Director” (Tommy McArdle, People).
• “AI-generated ads using Taylor Swift's likeness dupe fans with fake Le Creuset giveaway” (Megan Cerullo, CBS News).
• “Haters gonna hate: Pentagon pushes back against Fox News conspiracy theory involving Taylor Swift” (Olivia Alafriz, Politico).

Kickers of the week

• Beware of “cheapfakes” — deepfake’s less polished and more believable cousin, which takes real audio, images or videos and cheaply manipulates or decontextualizes them.
• Imagine receiving a robocall from President Joe Biden telling you not to vote. That’s what happened recently to New Hampshire voters, except the recording appeared to be AI-generated .
• Experts say the threat to democracy in this year’s U.S. presidential election is unprecedented due to the threat of disinformation spread by a variety of sources, including new hyperpartisan news sites and election deniers in office.

One last thing...

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Thanks for reading!