Brands including Disney hit with antisemitic attacks on X, and a New Zealand data leak sparks a wave of vaccine misinformation
In this excerpt of NewsGuard's confidential weekly briefing for clients, we update you on the top misinformation and disinformation trends and narratives to help your organization stay ahead of emerging threats. Subscribe to the full edition here.
Edited by Jack Brewster and Eric Effron.
Pro-Hamas X Account Targets Major Brands with Antisemitic Conspiracy Theories
The new verified pro-Hamas X account, @DefundIsraelNow, which describes itself as a nonprofit organization, has published numerous antisemitic conspiracy theories targeting dozens of major brands, calling for boycotts of their products. The one-month-old account has already generated 409,365 views and 12,505 engagements on posts advancing these conspiracy theories about 51 brands.
Fake MSNBC Video Claims Ukrainian Officials Profited from Hollywood Actor Kickback Scheme?
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By Eva Maitland
Pro-Kremlin social media users are spreading a fake video, styled as a report by MSNBC (Trust Score: 49.5/100), claiming that the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky paid Hollywood stars to visit Zelensky as part of a public relations campaign. The video claims these celebrities were paid less than the amounts officially reported, with the difference purportedly pocketed by Zelensky’s office. There is no evidence that Ukraine paid the celebrities to visit the country, much less that there was any controversy about the non-existent payments.
No, a New Zealand Data Leak Does Not Prove that COVID-19 Vaccines Killed Thousands
A reported data leak of New Zealand health ministry data is fueling false claims that COVID-19 vaccines have killed thousands of people in New Zealand. An employee of the New Zealand government’s Te Whatu Ora health agency, Barry Young, was arrested on Dec. 3, 2023, in connection with the data breach, which included private COVID-19 vaccination data that the health agency said was used by others to spread “false and harmful misinformation” about vaccines.
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