Ok, so now that I’ve had a moment to breathe, let me take a few minutes to dive into the study I just published about Russian involvement in the 2022 truck convoy in Canada. The study can be read in full here: https://journals.lib.sfu.ca/index.php/jicw/article/view/5101
Russia's Role in the Far-Right Truck Convoy | The Journal of Intelligence, Conflict, and Warfare

So first, it's important to understand that Russia's propaganda & disinformation ecosystem is made up different parts that may appear independent, but are really like machines in an assembly line. They work together to manufacture, launder, tailor, & disseminate content. This assembly line includes overt state-funded propaganda, as well as media figures, proxy websites, fake social media personas, and more. 2/

In this study, I focused on three main pillars of that ecosystem:
-Overt Russian state-funded propaganda (RT)
-Proxy sites connected to Russian intelligence (SouthFront, Global Research), which allow some degree of plausible deniability on the surface.
-Social media (in this case, Telegram groups that were set up for the truck convoy but which later became repositories for Russian propaganda).

I used a mix of OSINT tools & techniques, including GDELT.

The first major finding is that Russian-funded propaganda outlet RT produced a higher volume of television coverage focused on the truck convoy than any other international media outlet.

In fact, RT produced more convoy coverage than nearly all other international media outlets COMBINED. 4/

Russian-funded propaganda outlet RT (below, in orange) was also the first international media outlet to mention the truck convoy on-air, and as you can see, the peak volume far outpaced any other media outlet.

RT's early dominance is strategically important because it may have provided an opportunity for RT to set the tone for subsequent international media coverage. Given that RT's tone is whatever aligns with Russian state interests, this is significant. 5/

Another notable trend: When RT's coverage drops off, Fox News' coverage starts to sharply increase, almost like the two outlets are in a symbiotic relationship. We know from previous reports that RT takes cues from Fox News, and this may be further evidence of such a relationship. 6/
In the associated word clouds, notable themes include the prominent use of the keywords “NATO” & “Ukraine” by RT, which disappeared once RT’s coverage was removed from the input. Similarly, the keyword “nazi” only appeared when RT’s coverage was included. To me, this suggests an interesting intermingling of Freedom Convoy coverage, and coverage related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which was happening at the same time. Perhaps the convoy was used as a distraction? 7/
I also looked at RT's online coverage of the truck convoy. I found that RT[.]com published 250+ articles about the truck convoy, and the linguistic patterns (repetitive uses of specific words & phrases) were suggestive of internal language guidance, which is a tactic RT is known to use. The tone of coverage was sympathetic towards convoy organizers/participants, portraying them as victims of a "tyrannical" government. 8/

@rvawonk

The repetitive use of specific words & phrases is deliberate.
Repetition creates belief.

It doesn't matter where the repetition comes from, unreliable sources promoting lies or reliable sources "debunking" the lies.

The more a person hears a lie repeated, the more likely they are to believe the lie.

That's why liars keep repeating known lies & why it's bad that news orgs repeat these same lies in their coverage.

👀 : https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2022/11/03/misinformation-brain-beliefs/
🧵 : https://newsie.social/@ZhiZhu/109530716627287778

#Propaganda

Why do our brains believe lies?

Many of the decisions we make depend on accurate information, but our psychological biases and predispositions make us vulnerable to the spread of falsehoods.

The Washington Post
@ZhiZhu @rvawonk Precisely. That's why it's so infuriating that pretty much all journalists are doing it. *You don't quote from a terrorist manifesto*, and that should apply to all harmful lies.
Funny you should link to WaPo for this... this is a good source:
https://www.climatechangecommunication.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DebunkingHandbook2020.pdf