Navalny targeted with false claims in the wake of his death, Social media users claim China calls Coca-Cola a “sewage cleaner,” and more
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.
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Edited by Jack Brewster and Eric Effron.
Death of Navalny Sparks False Claim of MI6 Collaboration
By Eva Maitland and McKenzie Sadeghi
Hours after Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was reported to have died in a Russian prison at the Arctic Circle, a video falsely purporting to show him soliciting millions from the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service MI6 to fund a coup in Russia gained traction among far-right and pro-Kremlin sources seeking to paint him as a puppet of the West.
The roughly one-minute, black-and-white video shows two unidentified men chatting at a restaurant while apparently being secretly filmed. One man is heard saying, “If we had more money, we could expand our opportunities ... If somebody would spend, I don't know, ten, twenty million dollars a year on supporting this, we would see quite a different picture.”?
Social Media Users Claim China Reclassified Coca-Cola as a ‘Sewage Cleaner’
By Sara Badilini and Virginia Padovese
Social media users are advancing the false claim that China has banned Coca-Cola for human consumption and has gone so far as to reclassify the American soft drink as a “sewage cleaner” following a deadly experiment.
It remains unclear where the false narrative originated, although it has mostly circulated on Facebook. One anonymous Facebook account stated in a Jan. 24, 2024, post in English, “In China, Coca-Cola will be sold as a sewage cleaner, and the Coca-Cola soft drink produced by the American Coca-Cola Company will be transferred … into the category of sanitary liquids recommended for cleaning pipes.”?
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Joe Rogan’s Podcast Resurrects Long-Debunked AIDS Narrative
By John Gregory
One of the world’s most popular podcasts is advancing the long-debunked claim that human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) may not be the real cause of AIDS — but that “party drugs” might be.?
On the Feb. 12, 2024, episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience” (NewsGuard Podcast Trust Score: 7/10) guest Bret Weinstein, a former biology professor and political commentator, discussed presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s book, “The Real Anthony Fauci.” Both Weinstein and Kennedy have frequently advanced false claims about COVID-19 and vaccines, NewsGuard has reported.?
Far-Right X Users Falsely Accuse Greta Thunberg of Flying to French Protest
By Natalie Huet and Chine Labbé
In an apparent attempt to portray Greta Thunberg as a hypocrite who does not adhere to her own principles, far-right X users in France are falsely claiming that the Swedish climate activist traveled by plane from the U.S. to France to attend a protest. In fact, she was not in the U.S. ahead of the protest, but rather, was in Europe, where she says she mainly travels by train.
Misinformers Baselessly Claim Costco Has Advance Knowledge of an Imminent Apocalypse
Misinformers are misrepresenting a “doomsday prep” influencer’s viral TikTok video as proof that Costco has secret, advance knowledge of an impending apocalyptic event. “WHAT DOES COSTCO KNOW? NEW DOOMSDAY KITS APPEAR AT WAREHOUSE CHAIN,” a now-deleted Feb. 1, 2024, X post from entrepreneur Mario Nawfal said. The post, which featured footage from the “doomsday prep” TikTok video, garnered 192,000 views the day it was posted.
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Independent Owner – freelancer
8 个月??
Educator | Media & Political Literacy | #FilterTheNoise
9 个月Every mass media event brings about a wave of conspiracy theories. Barely had news broke of Alexei Navalny's death, that posts emerged on social media and on junk content websites claiming he had died because of a Covid vaccine injection! This fake of Navalny speaking with the MI6 is interesting as it plays into many of the narratives around conspiracy theories with secret forces operating in the shadows, a grainy black and white video for good measure. Thanks for sharing NewsGuard ??