Copyright © 2021 Euromaidanpress.com

The work of Euromaidan Press is supported by the International Renaissance Foundation

When referencing our materials, please include an active hyperlink to the Euromaidan Press material and a maximum 500-character extract of the story. To reprint anything longer, written permission must be acquired from [email protected].

Privacy and Cookie Policies.

Seven commandments of fake news: New York Times exposes Kremlin’s methods

Seven Commandments of Fake News – New York Times exposes Kremlin’s methods
Edited by: Yuri Zoria
A three-series multimedia project by the New York Times reveals how current Kremlin disinformation campaigns stem from a long tradition of weaponizing information. Titled “Operation Infektion,” the series tells the story of a “political virus,” invented decades ago by the KGB to “slowly and methodically destroy its enemies from the inside,” and which the Kremlin continues to deliberately spread to this day. EU vs Disinfo takes a closer look at each of the episodes and encourages you to watch them yourselves.

child-trafficking ring run from a pizza-parlor basement by the US Presidential candidate and her team – who would believe this stuff? In the midst of the US Presidential campaign in 2016, quite a few people did. And some even believed it enough to bring a firearm and start shooting inside the said pizza parlor, in a misguided attempt to save child slaves allegedly held there.

Seven Commandments of Fake News – New York Times exposes Kremlin’s methods

In the second episode of the “Operation Infektion” series, the New York Times demonstrates how even the most outrageous lie can be turned into a successful fake news story. All you would have to do is follow the Seven Commandments of Fake News – a step-by-step guide straight from the Kremlin’s recipe book, on how to cook up the perfect media storm:

  • First Commandment:  look for cracks in target societies.
  • Second Commandment: create a big lie – something so outrageous, no one will believe it is made up.
  • Third Commandment: wrap that lie around a kernel of truth – disinformation is most successful when it has a small bit of truth in it.
  • Fourth Commandment: conceal your hand – make it seem that the story came from somewhere else.
  • Fifth Commandment: find yourself a ‘useful idiot’ – someone who would unwittingly push your message to wider audiences.
  • Sixth Commandment: when the truth is uncovered – deny everything.
  • Seventh Commandment: play the long game – efforts might not bear fruit for years, but accumulated over a longer period of time they will eventually have a political impact.

EU vs Disinfo has extensively analyzed the strategies and tactics of the Kremlin’s disinformation campaigns. Finding and exploiting differences within pluralistic societies, carefully calibrating disinformation messages to target audiences,  wrapping false statements around a kernel of truth, amplifying narratives both through willing and unsuspecting voices – these are the core features of the Kremlin’s disinformation campaigns. And they are highly effective.

And while the Kremlin’s methods might in many ways be old, its tools are new. While the Soviet KGB had to rely on obscure newspapers, nowadays the Kremlin has a media empire at its disposal.

With time-tested methods and ample modern tools, the Kremlin relentlessly pursues the strategy of “divide and rule” – to break alliances, turn individualssocial groups, and countries against one another and weaken the West in a classic zero-sum game approach.

Read and watch the first part:

New York Times sheds light on decades-old tradition of Kremlin disinformation campaign.

Watch entire series on the NYT website.


Read also:

Edited by: Yuri Zoria
You could close this page. Or you could join our community and help us produce more materials like this.  We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. This is why our small, cost-effective team depends on the support of readers like you to bring deliver timely news, quality analysis, and on-the-ground reports about Russia's war against Ukraine and Ukraine's struggle to build a democratic society. A little bit goes a long way: for as little as the cost of one cup of coffee a month, you can help build bridges between Ukraine and the rest of the world, plus become a co-creator and vote for topics we should cover next. Become a patron or see other ways to support. Become a Patron!
Total
0
Shares
Related Posts